The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensably disabling prior to April 15, 2016 and 30 percent disabling thereafter. The Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted at any time during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's most severe level of hearing impairment was demonstrated in March 2016 with pure tone thresholds averaging 56 Hz in the right ear and 64 Hz in the left ear, corresponding to Level II under Table VI. From April 15, 2016, his hearing loss improved slightly but remained at Level XI (averaging 69 Hz in the right ear and 68 Hz in the left ear), which corresponds to a 30 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- June 16, 2017
- Citation
- 1722469
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 1722469.
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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