The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his hearing impairment did not meet VA compensation criteria and his psychiatric condition was not related to service. The Veteran is currently service-connected for tinnitus.
The deciding factor: VA audiological examinations found no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hearing loss under VA regulations, and a VA psychiatric examination did not find any link between the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include anxiety and depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1539892
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 1539892.
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.
- 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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