The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and service connection on the basis of aggravation for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss is considered to have been aggravated by military service, while his current left ear hearing loss is found to be related to military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a significant in-service threshold shift at 500 hertz for the Veteran's right ear and concluded that this constituted clinically significant noise exposure. The Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss was considered aggravated by service, while his current left ear hearing loss is deemed to be related to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Left Ear Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1537570
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 1537570.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims based on in-service noise exposure or other theories.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a TDIU with a September 19, 2024 effective date based on his PTSD, emphysema, and COPD symptoms. His diabetes, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss were not found to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in service and is less likely than not caused by noise exposure during his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to August 31, 2020.
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