The petition to reopen a claim for entitlement to service connection for an ear disability is granted. The Veteran's prior claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were implicitly denied in the August 1960 rating decision, but new evidence has raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating these conditions.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the last final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the service connection for ear disability, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Ear disability (including otosclerosis, stapedectomy surgeries, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus), Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20064714
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- 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.
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