June 16, 2026, 2:00-3:30 PM ET: Establishing Service Connection for Hearing Loss & Tinnitus (VSO)

Many veterans seek VA disability benefits for hearing loss and tinnitus that they believe were caused by hazardous noise they were exposed to during their military service. Unless their service medical records document a hearing loss disability or complaints of tinnitus, however, they face an uphill battle in proving their claims. Unfortunately, this evidence is absent in many cases. This webinar will give veterans service officers a deep understanding of the various rules related to claims for VA compensation for hearing loss and tinnitus and provide advice about how to overcome common reasons the VA denies these claims.

This webinar will cover the following and more:

• The different ways veterans can establish service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus
• Effective strategies for attacking negative VA medical opinions, including those based on the examiner’s rejection of the theory of delayed-onset hearing loss
• Important caselaw and little-known VA rules related to hearing loss and tinnitus claims
• The difference between the medical definition of “hearing loss” and a “hearing disability” for VA purposes, and the impact of having preexisting hearing loss, but not a hearing disability, on the presumption of soundness
• Tips for handling claims involving whispered voice tests and old audiograms that utilized ASA standards, rather than current ISO standards
• Information about VA’s proposed rule change regarding the evaluation of tinnitus