The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as zero percent since August 7, 2014. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a compensable rating.,The Veteran is not entitled to TDIU because his combined service-connected disability rating does not meet the percentage requirements and there is no additional service-connected disability bringing the combined rating to 70 percent or more.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not show hearing acuity findings that would warrant a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's statements regarding ambient noise and higher frequency speech were considered, but found to be unsupported by medical expertise.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the percentage requirements for TDIU as his combined disability rating is less than 70 percent when considering all service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1755872
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 1755872.
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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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