The Board has granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's in-service noise exposure is related to his current condition.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows in-service noise exposure sufficient to damage the auditory senses and elevated pure tone thresholds at separation, with no intercurrent causes explained. The Veteran’s treating audiologist supports the claim by linking the amount and duration of hazardous noise exposure in active service to the Veteran's permanent sensorineural hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20067756
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder is granted an initial rating of 50 percent, and some claims for service connection are denied while others are remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection and higher initial disability ratings due to concurrent elections under the Appeals Modernization Act, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability or nexus to service.
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.