The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current ruptured right ear drum or hearing loss of the right ear, and thus service connection for these conditions is denied.
The deciding factor: There was no chronicity of a right ear drum rupture during service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology post-service. The recent VA examination did not result in a diagnosis of any right ear drum disability.
- Claimed conditions
- ruptured right ear drum, hearing loss of the right ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2004
- Citation
- 0402255
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (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 0402255.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed all claims as the Veteran died during the appeal process.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hearing loss of the right ear, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to a compensable rating for ruptured right ear drum, service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), secondary to service-connected conditions, and service connection for rhinitis and sinusitis due to missing service treatment records.
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.