The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable prior to January 24, 2011 and a rating in excess of 10 percent from January 24, 2011 to February 16, 2015. The Veteran's right eye disability remains remanded for further examination.,The Veteran is currently rated as noncompensable for bilateral hearing loss from February 17, 2015 and a VA examination is needed to determine the current severity of his service-connected right eye anterior stromal scar.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not found to warrant a compensable rating prior to January 24, 2011 due to the non-service-connected left ear and the current level of impairment in the right ear. From January 24, 2011 to February 16, 2015, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as 10 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20041594
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 20041594.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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