The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at zero percent, as the audiometric testing results do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,The Veteran's allergic rhinitis does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating due to lack of obstruction or polyps.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at Level I, which corresponds to no more than slight hearing impairment in both ears. The Veteran's speech recognition scores were within normal limits and his pure tone thresholds did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,For allergic rhinitis, the Veteran did not have greater than 50 percent obstruction of nasal passage on both sides or complete obstruction on one side, which is required for a higher evaluation. The examiner found no polyps.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Allergic Rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2024
- Citation
- A24079294
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 A24079294.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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