The Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as the Veteran's STRs are silent for complaints or findings related to hearing loss. The audiometric results did not show any hearing loss at the time of discharge and the Veteran specifically denied having ear trouble or hearing loss during his separation examination.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no evidence of a noise injury in service, as evidenced by normal audiometry at the time of discharge. The medical expert opinion found that the Veteran's current hearing loss is less likely than not incurred in or caused by his service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2014
- Citation
- 1422955
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1422955.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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