The VA determined that the Veteran's bilateral SNHL did not meet the criteria for a finding of hearing loss disability under VA standards at any point during service, and thus denied his claim.
The deciding factor: There was no significant shift in hearing acuity between the entrance and separation examinations, indicating no evidence of permanent damage to the auditory system while on duty.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1727188
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1727188.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied an initial increased rating above 10 percent for tinnitus, to include on an extraschedular basis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of definitive studies on delayed onset hearing loss, and needs an addendum opinion from the December 2019 examiner.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck condition and bilateral SNHL. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for additional analysis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in a prior VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The case is now being returned for an updated opinion that addresses this issue.
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