The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and depressive disorder are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year following active service, nor are they related to service.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an ear condition. His complaints of left ear pain were noted in VA treatment records but no specific ear condition was diagnosed.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss or depressive disorder manifested during active service, within one year following separation from service, or as a result of an injury, event, or disease related to service. The VA examiner found no current diagnosis of an ear condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, depressive disorder, ear infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 30, 2024
- Citation
- A24070281
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,135 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24070281.
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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