From December 29, 2010 to October 10, 2012, the Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 60 percent and his tinnitus at 10 percent.,The Veteran is now entitled to a 100 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss as of October 10, 2012. He also qualifies for SMC based on deafness in both ears starting from that date.,Prior to October 10, 2012, the Veteran was granted TDIU.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus were found to be severe enough to warrant increased ratings as of December 29, 2010. His TDIU claim prior to October 10, 2012 is also supported by the evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- February 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1703576
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 1703576.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
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