The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing impairment did not manifest during or within a presumptive period after service and was not related to in-service noise exposure. The evidence showed that his hearing issues were more likely due to non-service-related middle ear pathology.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records did not show any complaints of hearing loss, and the Veteran's entrance and separation audiograms indicated normal hearing. His current bilateral hearing loss is attributed to a conductive component related to prior ear surgeries and disease processes unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19178185
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.
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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