The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's service-connected otitis externa of the left ear, finding that there was no evidence of swelling, dry and scaly or serous discharge requiring frequent and prolonged treatment.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a compensable rating under either the old or revised schedular criteria for chronic otitis externa.
- Claimed conditions
- otitis externa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 23, 2002
- Citation
- 0218666
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 0218666.
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.
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The appeal was granted for service connection of left ear hearing loss and OSA, but denied for hepatic steatosis. Several claims were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for tinnitus but denied increased ratings and service connection for other conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a recurrent neurological disability, including partial complex seizure disorder and headache disability, and a recurrent ear disability, including otitis externa, to ensure necessary development is completed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for otitis externa, hemorrhoids, allergic rhinitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. The claims for memory loss disability, sinusitis, neck disability, and back disability were remanded.
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