The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a 20 percent rating for residuals of shell fragment wounds to the right shoulder, arm, and chest. The veteran's hearing loss was not related to his military service, but his current disabilities are considered well-grounded.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's hearing loss did not have its onset during or as a result of his military service and is not related to any service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Residuals of Shell Fragment Wound to Right Shoulder, Residuals of Shell Fragment Wound to Right Arm, Residuals of Shell Fragment Wound to Right Chest
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 7, 2000
- Citation
- 0000514
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0000514.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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