The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been manifested by auditory acuity no worse than Level I in the right ear and Level II in the left ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating. The Board found that the specific legal criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.
The deciding factor: The audiometric evaluations did not show a pattern of exceptional hearing impairment or an indication of an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment as defined by VA regulations, and thus no higher rating could be assigned under the applicable schedular criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19146803
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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