The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability meeting the regulatory threshold for hearing loss benefits at any point during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: There is no medical or lay evidence suggesting a worsening of hearing acuity since the August 2023 evaluation, and the VA examiner determined that exposure to military noise was conceded but there is no evidence that the Veteran has met the regulatory threshold for hearing loss benefits at any point during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lumbosacral strain and right sacroiliac joint dysfunction, left shoulder bicipital tendonitis, right knee tendinitis, left ankle lateral collateral ligament sprain, bilateral plantar fasciitis, tension headaches, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eye disability, to include bilateral dry eye syndrome, chronic urticaria
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25028457
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,044 · Granted: 21% (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 A25028457.
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.
- 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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