The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred therein.
The deciding factor: The VA opinion found the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability less likely caused by his military service, citing a lack of symptoms reported during and after service, and the nearly half-century gap between discharge from service and evidence of disability.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19115806
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 19115806.
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 a left ear hearing loss disability, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that it is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the current condition and his in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a skin condition, left ear hearing loss disability, and tinnitus due to an error by the AOJ in failing to notify the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, resolving any reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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