The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and insomnia associated with tinnitus were denied as the evidence did not show that their service-connected conditions had worsened to a level warranting higher disability ratings.
The deciding factor: The VA examination results showed that the Veteran’s hearing loss was at Level I in his better ear and Level XI in his worse ear, which corresponded to a 10% disability rating. For insomnia associated with tinnitus, the evidence did not show significant functional impairment or occupational/social impairment warranting higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, insomnia associated with tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19150212
Veterans Law Judge
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 19150212.
What this means for you
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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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