The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting right ear hearing loss was aggravated by his active duty service, and left ear hearing loss is related to his active duty service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran had a pre-existing hearing loss condition in both ears at the time of his entrance into service, but no complaints or treatment was noted during service. The Board found that the right ear hearing loss was aggravated by service and left ear hearing loss is related to service based on the current state of the Veteran's hearing.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 1, 2016
- Citation
- 1626568
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 1626568.
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.
- 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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