The Board granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied an initial increased rating above 10 percent for tinnitus, to include on an extraschedular basis.
The deciding factor: The probative evidence favored a finding that the Veteran's bilateral SNHL was at least as likely as not caused by exposure to in-service hazardous noise. However, there was no indication of marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization for tinnitus during the review period, and the maximum schedular rating had already been assigned.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25032072
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,081 · Granted: 38% (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 A25032072.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of definitive studies on delayed onset hearing loss, and needs an addendum opinion from the December 2019 examiner.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck condition and bilateral SNHL. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for additional analysis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in a prior VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The case is now being returned for an updated opinion that addresses this issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connection due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and diabetes mellitus, type II are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.,Service connection for right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is also remanded as these conditions are inextricably intertwined with diabetes mellitus, type II.
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