The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his TDIU claim due to service-connected disabilities was also denied. The Board found that the Veteran’s hearing loss did not meet or approximate the criteria for a compensable rating at any time since the effective date of service connection.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological examinations revealed varying degrees of bilateral hearing impairment, but none met the specific pure tone thresholds and/or speech discrimination percentages required for a compensable rating under the applicable VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 C.F.R. Part 4).
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19103663
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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