The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his hearing in both ears is within normal limits and does not result in functional impairment. The high frequency hearing loss in the left ear was attributed to noise exposure during service but did not cause any functional impairment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a disability as defined by VA regulations, specifically failing to reach 40 decibels or more at any of the specified frequencies and having speech recognition scores above 94 percent in both ears. Additionally, his high frequency hearing loss in the left ear was found to be due to noise exposure but did not result in functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, left ear high frequency hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2024
- Citation
- 24012750
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 24012750.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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