The appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed as the AOJ granted service connection in a March 2025 rating decision. The Board denied an increased rating for tinnitus, finding that the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent had been assigned.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the fact that the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss became moot due to a grant of service connection in a subsequent rating decision. For tinnitus, the Board found no legal basis for a higher schedular rating as the criteria were fully met by the current 10 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25056264
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.