The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 60 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available. The Board has determined that an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is not warranted. Additionally, the Veteran was denied entitlement to a TDIU as he did not meet the threshold minimum percentage standards and there are no circumstances in his case apart from non-service-connected conditions and advancing age which would justify a TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 60 percent, representing Level XI hearing impairment in both ears. The applicable schedular rating criteria adequately address the severity of his disability, thus an extraschedular evaluation is not warranted. For entitlement to a TDIU, the Veteran must meet specific percentage standards for service-connected disabilities and have at least one disability rated at 40 percent or more with sufficient additional disability bringing the combined rating to 70 percent or more. The Veteran's total disability rating of 60 percent does not meet these criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- July 13, 2016
- Citation
- 1627839
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 1627839.
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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