The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are currently evaluated at the minimum schedular rating of 10 percent. The Board finds that a higher evaluation is not warranted as there is no evidence to support an increase in disability level beyond what is already reflected by the current evaluations. For TDIU, the Veteran does not meet the criteria due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing and following any substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are currently evaluated at the minimum schedular rating of 10 percent under Diagnostic Codes 6100 (hearing loss) and 6260 (tinnitus). The evidence does not support an increase in disability level beyond what is already reflected by these evaluations. For TDIU, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following any substantially gainful occupation.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 24, 2017
- Citation
- 1705755
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 1705755.
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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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