The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are rated at 40 percent since May 30, 2019. The Board denied the claim for a higher rating as his hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a more than 40 percent rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s hearing loss was found to be worse from May 30, 2019 onwards, warranting a 40% rating. However, it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as his tinnitus warranted only a 10% rating and his combined disability rating did not exceed 50%. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19179862
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 19179862.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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