The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and granted due to the establishment of continuity of symptomatology since service, meeting the criteria for presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran had a history of in-service noise exposure and established continuity of symptoms from service through current time, warranting presumptive service connection based on the presumption of chronicity of disease or injury under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b).
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002519
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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