The Board has determined that the reduction of the disability rating for otitis media from 50 percent to 10 percent is proper and restored the original 10 percent rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence showed improvement in the veteran's hearing loss, warranting a reduction in his disability rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Otitis Media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 2, 2004
- Citation
- 0400009
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,175 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0400009.
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.
- Granted
The Board has accepted the October 2019 VA Form 9 as timely and will proceed with a decision on the merits of the service connection claims under the legacy review system.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to November 14, 2011, and December 5, 2011, are being remanded due to the need for additional development.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for IBS, a lumbar spine disability, prostate disorder, kidney disorder, pharyngitis, and otitis media. The Veteran's assertions were not supported by the evidence of record.,Service connection was denied as there is no persuasive medical evidence showing that any current diagnosed condition is related to active duty service or any incident thereof.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in obtaining relevant medical records and completing appropriate disability benefits questionnaires.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.