The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his bilateral hearing disability was denied by the Board as there is no evidence showing that his condition warranted such a rating.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological evaluations did not show hearing acuity levels sufficient to warrant a compensable rating, and the Veteran's testimony regarding difficulty understanding speech in background noise does not provide additional basis for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 26, 2018
- Citation
- 1826020
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 1826020.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to credibility issues with his testimony and lack of supporting medical evidence. The case is being returned for additional development, including obtaining records from the Army National Guard period, left knee surgery records, clarification on TERA exposure details, and a new opinion regarding prostate cancer.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The veteran's skin cancer is service-connected due to Agent Orange exposure, but the hearing disability rating was not increased.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, and left elbow disability due to insufficient evidence of a current disability. The Veteran is also being asked to provide more information regarding his exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing disability, including left ear hearing loss, is related to service and aggravated by service. The decision grants service connection for these conditions.
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