The Board denied service connection for left ear and right ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not establish a direct link between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no sufficient scientific basis for delayed onset hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure, given the absence of hearing loss at service separation. The private physician's opinion was considered less probative as it did not clearly state a conclusion or cite to medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- sensorineural left ear hearing loss, sensorineural right ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101776
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
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