The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's initial rating in excess of 10 percent for recurrent tinnitus is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The effective date prior to December 15, 2015 for the grant of service connection for recurrent tinnitus is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current hearing acuity and tinnitus levels do not warrant a compensable rating under applicable VA regulations.,The Veteran's tinnitus has been assigned the maximum schedular rating available, 10 percent, since December 15, 2015.,There is no evidence of a claim for service connection prior to December 15, 2015.,The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of receipt of the Veteran's claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19104790
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19104790.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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