The Board found that the reduction of the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss rating from 20 percent to a noncompensable rating was not proper and restored the 20 percent rating effective August 1, 2016. The matter regarding a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no sustained improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work based on the evidence provided by the VA examinations conducted within nine months of each other, which showed fluctuating levels of hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- October 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21063198
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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