The Veteran's claim for service connection for keloids of the shoulders and back is granted. The Board finds that his keloids are related to his military service, as evidenced by their presence at the time of his discharge from service and subsequent progression over the years. Service connection is also granted for incontinence secondary to his service-connected hemorrhoids. However, service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be established based on the available evidence.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's keloids of the shoulders and back are found to have been incurred during military service due to their presence at the time of his discharge from service and subsequent progression over the years. Service connection is granted as direct service connection can be established when a disease or injury resulting in disability was incurred in line of duty in active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Keloids of the Shoulders and Back, Incontinence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2010
- Citation
- 1032766
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 1032766.
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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