The veteran's left ear otitis media was incurred in service and is now granted. The back disorder, however, did not begin in service or due to a service-connected disability and is therefore not service connected.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for the back disorder as it did not develop prior to service or due to a service-connected condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ear Otitis Media, Degenerative Disc Disease with Arthritis of the Lumbosacral Spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 9, 2003
- Citation
- 0315265
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 0315265.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear disability, other than hearing loss, did not manifest during service and is not otherwise related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for a right ear disability, other than hearing loss, is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the appellant's claims for increased evaluations for his left ear hearing loss and otitis media disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a compensable evaluation under the applicable rating criteria.
- Denied
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- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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