The Board denied a compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, and denied increased ratings greater than 30 percent for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine and greater than 20 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the Veteran's conditions warranted a compensable rating or an increase in his current disability ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear sensorineural hearing loss, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0910206
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 0910206.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left ear sensorineural hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not show that his condition had worsened since his last examination, and he is currently rated at zero percent.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there is a need for additional medical examination and opinion to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, including DDD of the lumbar spine. The current VA opinions are deemed inadequate due to their failure to consider the Veteran's lay reports of in-service injury and continuous symptomatology since service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examiner's opinion regarding whether his service-connected disabilities result in loss of use and if so, whether he requires aid and attendance without considering such disability/ies. The Veteran also needs to be considered for SMC R1 based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss due to noise exposure during service. However, the initial rating for bilateral hearing loss (left ear) remains noncompensable.
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