The Board found that the veteran's perforated right eardrum did not incur in service and was not aggravated by service. The residuals of this condition are currently present, but they do not meet the criteria for service connection.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing perforation of the right eardrum worsened during service due to natural progression of a pre-existing ear disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Perforated right eardrum
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2000
- Citation
- 0033564
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 0033564.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for residuals of perforated right eardrum was denied.,Service connection and an initial separate 10 percent rating for tinnitus were granted, but the effective date is not earlier than September 12, 2016.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for a perforated right eardrum, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the condition and in-service noise exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether a perforated right eardrum existed prior to service and was aggravated by service. The Veteran needs to provide VA treatment records, complete a VA Form 21-4142 for any relevant medical providers, and undergo an examination to determine if his current perforated eardrum is related to in-service noise exposure or aggravation of pre-existing conditions.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims to reopen service connection for tinnitus and a perforated right ear drum. The underlying issues are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.
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