The Board finds that the Veteran's current perforated left eardrum and mixed hearing loss in the left ear were not incurred or aggravated by his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence linking the Veteran's current perforated left eardrum to his military service, as there are no service treatment records indicating any ear problems during service or within one year of discharge. The absence of complaints, treatment, and diagnosis for decades after service makes it impossible to determine a link between the Veteran's current condition and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Perforated left eardrum, Mixed hearing loss in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 27, 2010
- Citation
- 1036414
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 1036414.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a compensable evaluation for perforated left eardrum was dismissed.,The application to reopen the claim of service connection for a back disability was denied, as new and material evidence had not been submitted within the one-year appeal period.,The application to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to military noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's perforated left eardrum was not caused by VA care, and thus denied compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for clarification of the nature of his incarceration and to determine if he was incarcerated due to a felony conviction, which would affect the overpayment calculation.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a perforated left eardrum and determined that there is sufficient evidence to establish that this condition is related to an incident of service, granting service connection for residuals of a perforated left tympanic membrane.
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