The Board denied service connection for a right ear disability and assigned a 10 percent rating for post-operative left ankle instability. The claim for the right thumb ligament repair was also denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to report for a VA audiometric examination, which is required for a determination of hearing loss. The Board found no evidence of a current right ear disability and denied service connection accordingly. For the post-operative left ankle instability, the Board determined that the criteria for a 10 percent evaluation were met prior to January 29, 1998, but not after.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Left ankle instability, Right thumb ligament repair
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 19, 2005
- Citation
- 0511126
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 0511126.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of hypertension and right ear hearing loss were denied. The Board has remanded these issues.,Service connection for hypertension was granted in June 2023 based on the PACT Act, but an earlier effective date is not warranted.
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