The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his pre-existing right ear hearing loss was not aggravated by service and that his left ear hearing loss did not manifest during active service or within one year of discharge. The evidence showed no significant threshold shifts in his hearing acuity over the period of service from June 1953 to July 1962.
The deciding factor: The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's pre-existing right ear hearing loss existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service. For the left ear, there was no significant threshold shift over the period of service from June 1953 to July 1962.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19145933
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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