The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss in the left ear, finding that there is a balance of evidence supporting the claim and considering the Veteran's credible assertions of continuous symptoms since service.
The deciding factor: The decision finds that the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss disability is related to his in-service noise exposure, despite the absence of hearing loss at service separation as per VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19182379
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss based on the severity of his symptoms and the results of a controlled Maryland CNC speech discrimination test together with the average hearing threshold level measured by pure tone audiometry tests.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU based on these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for asthma and hearing loss, as well as his claim for service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran is required to provide additional medical records and undergo examinations to determine the current severity of his asthma and the etiology of his sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss in the right ear, left ear, and Meniere’s syndrome due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other valid theory of entitlement.
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