The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for ear pain, gastrointestinal condition (initially claimed as sore throat), left shoulder condition, fatigue, and weight loss. The veteran's skin rash claim was previously denied but not reopened.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service for any of the conditions in question.
- Claimed conditions
- Ear Pain, Gastrointestinal Condition (Sore Throat)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2006
- Citation
- 0603043
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 0603043.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted a separate rating of 10 percent for ear pain throughout the appeal. The case is REMANDED to obtain updated VA medical records and schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess the current extent and severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, extraschedular rating for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU due to issues with the adequacy of previous examinations and treatment records. The Veteran is also requested to provide updated VA treatment records and complete a VA Form 21-8940.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new examination and consideration of whether an extraschedular rating is warranted for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's symptoms of dizziness, ear wetness, and ear pain are not contemplated by the current schedular criteria.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and depressive disorder, sciatic radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities, intervertebral disc syndrome (claimed as low back condition), scars, degenerative joint disease of both knees, degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder, hypertension, tinnitus, bilateral nasal pinquecula with dry eyes, hernia, ear pain, and erectile dysfunction, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that his service-connected disabilities alone are at least in equipoise as to whether he is unable to obtain or maintain such employment.
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