The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to August 7, 2020 and a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter was denied. The Veteran had hearing acuity levels that did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to August 7, 2020, but met the criteria for a 10 percent rating from that date forward.
The deciding factor: The VA audiological examinations showed that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not severe enough to warrant a higher initial rating prior to August 7, 2020, and did meet the criteria for a 10 percent rating thereafter.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074531
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.
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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