The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and awarded a noncompensable initial rating for herniated nucleus pulposus at L5-S1. The veteran's claim for an increased rating was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA medical experts determined that the veteran's current diagnoses of right ear hearing loss and herniated nucleus pulposus at L5-S1 are related to his military service, with the latter being due to acoustic trauma sustained during active duty. The Board found no evidence of aggravation or other service connection theories.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Herniated nucleus pulposus at L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- March 3, 2006
- Citation
- 0606225
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 362 · Granted: 24% (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 0606225.
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.
- 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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