The Board has determined that the veteran sustained injuries to his right shoulder during combat conditions in service, and thus grants service connection for residuals of a right shoulder injury. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss as it is presumed related to service due to exposure to loud noise from military service.
The deciding factor: Combat service established; lay testimony consistent with medical records and field hospital treatment supports the veteran's claim of in-service injury during combat conditions, leading to presumptive service connection for right shoulder injury. Bilateral hearing loss presumed as it is related to exposure to loud noise during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Residuals of a Right Shoulder Injury
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 24, 2008
- Citation
- 0836578
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 0836578.
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 Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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