The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected and rated as noncompensable. The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's cervical spine disability did not warrant a higher rating prior to April 24, 2014 but granted an increased rating of 20% thereafter. The Veteran's scar was also found to be noncompensable prior to April 24, 2014 and granted a compensable rating after that date.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined the Veteran's hearing loss is not service-connected due to lack of in-service noise exposure and no current evidence of hearing loss. The cervical spine disability was found to be productive of pain but without associated tissue loss or gross distortion, thus warranting a noncompensable rating prior to April 24, 2014. After the increase in rating, the Veteran's scar was still not compensable due to lack of evidence of tissue loss or gross distortion.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2014
- Citation
- 1449208
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 1449208.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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