The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated at 10 percent, and his tinnitus disability is also rated at 10 percent. The Board found that the evidence does not show an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his hearing loss from May 20, 2009 onward. Additionally, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not been shown to render him unemployable and a referral to the Director, Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular TDIU is not warranted.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's hearing loss disability warrants a rating in excess of 10 percent from May 20, 2009 onward. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unemployable and thus did not warrant referral for extraschedular TDIU consideration.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 9, 2018
- Citation
- 1801125
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 1801125.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.