The Board found that the veteran's left ear conditions, including otitis media and hearing loss, existed prior to entry into service and that the worsening of these conditions was clearly due to the natural progression of her preservice left ear otitis media. Therefore, service connection is denied.
The deciding factor: The worsening of the preservice left ear otitis media with tympanic membrane perforation and cholesteatoma with canal stenosis was clearly and unmistakably the result of the natural progression of these conditions; the preservice left ear hearing loss did not increase in severity during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ear Condition, Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 6, 2000
- Citation
- 0023701
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 0023701.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral hearing disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability at any time during or recent to the filing of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, asthma, and foot conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history throughout the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a disability that meets VA's criteria for a disability.
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