How the Board ruled on hearing loss claims, 2021–2025

Hearing loss (direct service connection)

Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order

40.1% granted of 11,767 decided cases (margin of error 39.2–41.0%). 4,721 granted, 7,046 denied, 8,770 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 1,468 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board accepted the veteran's own account of loud noise in service (often backed by a high-noise job such as cannon crew or radio work) and of hearing trouble starting in service and continuing since, even when service records were silent. (8 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 23029973, 21018158, A24066002)
• The Board gave little or no weight to VA examiner opinions that ignored the veteran's report of noise exposure and hearing decline, leaned on a lack of treatment records, or misread the service records (for example, missing in-service hearing tests). (7 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 21012670, A22005824, A22001539)
• The Board granted when a medical opinion or treatment note (private or VA) linked the hearing loss to in-service noise and fit the veteran's history; the excerpts rarely spell out a direct private-versus-VA comparison. (5 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 21017633, 21070503, A21011634)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when hearing tests did not meet VA's definition of a hearing loss disability (38 C.F.R. 3.385) in one or both ears, noting that a veteran's sense of reduced hearing cannot replace those test results. (8 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 21000897, 21065391, A25023509)
• The Board relied on negative VA opinions that pointed to normal hearing at separation or no hearing shift in service, post-service noise, or aging, where no medical opinion was offered to rebut them. (6 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 23055375, 23029984, 21043512)
• The Board found the veteran's own belief about the cause not competent medical evidence, and in some cases found his account outweighed by records made closer to service in which he denied hearing problems. (4 of 16 decisions read; e.g. 21055114, 21064990, 21029738)

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Hearing loss secondary to any service-connected condition

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

27.2% granted of 81 decided cases (margin of error 18.7–37.7%). 22 granted, 59 denied, 161 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.

What convinced the Board in granted cases

• The Board granted when a medical opinion, usually from a VA examiner, linked the hearing loss to a service-connected condition such as sarcoidosis, Meniere's disease, tinnitus, or diabetes, with record review and no contrary opinion. (4 of 7 decisions read; e.g. 21000119, 21025341, A22005519)
• Negative VA opinions got little or no weight when they rested only on normal hearing at separation or a lack of treatment, or ignored a service-connected condition like diabetes. (2 of 7 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 21008118, A23026242)
• The veteran's credible account of noise exposure and when hearing problems began supported grants. (2 of 7 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A23026242, 21008118)

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when VA examiners, after thorough review, found the service-connected condition or its medication did not cause or worsen the hearing loss; tinnitus was called a symptom, not a cause. (5 of 9 decisions read; e.g. 22040091, 21073846, 21037202)
• The veteran's own belief about the cause was not competent, because hearing loss for VA purposes depends on testing, and general literature showing only a possibility was not enough. (3 of 9 decisions read; e.g. 23046744, A25023288, A21008908)
• Some claims failed because service records showed no hearing loss and it first appeared decades later, or no hearing loss disability for VA purposes was shown. (4 of 9 decisions read; e.g. 21050340, 23046744, A25023288)

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Hearing loss secondary to tinnitus

Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)

22.6% granted of 31 decided cases (margin of error 11.4–39.8%). 7 granted, 24 denied, 63 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 1 dismissed.

Common reasons in denied cases

• The Board denied when VA examiners, relying on normal in-service hearing tests and no significant threshold shift, found no link to service or to tinnitus, and no competent opinion rebutted them. (5 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 23011356, 23001476, 21043376)
• The Board denied when testing did not show a hearing loss disability that meets VA's audiogram standard, or when test results were unreliable. (5 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A25027052, 22049631, 21020854)
• The Board denied when the only support was the veteran's own belief, which is not competent on audiology, or a private opinion that was conclusory and ignored post-service noise exposure. (4 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 21064693, A25023288, 23046744)

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