The Board found that the veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred therein. The claim for reopening of a previous denial regarding left ear otitis media with defective hearing was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown on active duty or for decades thereafter, and have not been linked to his active duty by competent medical evidence. The claim for reopening service connection for left ear otitis media with defective hearing was denied as no new and material evidence had been submitted.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic otitis media, Hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2002
- Citation
- 0210800
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0210800.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 hearing loss, a left elbow disability (claimed as osteoarthritis), and a higher rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating for hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hearing loss, psychiatric disorder, neck disorder, and radiculopathy of both upper and lower extremities to correct duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss and remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for a chronic ear infection.
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