The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for hearing loss was received on September 27, 2017. A compensable rating (zero percent) is denied.,A separate 10 percent rating for left knee instability from September 27, 2017, is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss was manifested by a Maryland CNC speech recognition score of 74% in the right ear and 100% in the left ear, resulting in Level IV hearing acuity. The exceptional pattern of hearing impairment under 38 C.F.R. § 4.86 did not apply.,The Veteran's left knee osteoarthritis was manifested by flexion limited to 120 degrees and on repetitive use decreased to 100 degrees, resulting in a separate 10 percent rating for instability from September 27, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Knee Osteoarthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20006857
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,062 · Granted: 34% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 20006857.
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 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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