The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.
The deciding factor: The audiometric results throughout the appeal period did not warrant a higher than noncompensable rating due to the Veteran's hearing loss being at Level I in both ears.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005321
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss due to a duty to assist error regarding an incomplete medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss as the evidence did not support a finding of a nexus between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to a compensable disability evaluation for service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.
- Granted
The Board has granted the claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that it was incurred in service based on noise exposure during basic training and Infantry Training School.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.