The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied it on the merits. The Veteran was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss in May 2018, but there is no competent medical evidence to support a link between his current condition and service. Service connection cannot be granted as the Veteran did not have a chronic disease or injury during service that resulted in a permanent disability.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological examination found that the Veteran's hearing loss was less likely than not caused by service, citing inconsistencies in his STRs showing normal hearing at both entrance and discharge, and studies indicating noise-induced auditory damage is unlikely to develop long after exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180121
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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