The Veteran's bilateral ear disorder and asthma are not shown to be related to his service, but the skin lesions on his thighs are aggravated by treatment for a service-connected low back disability.,Service connection is denied for a chronic respiratory disorder (asthma) and a bilateral ear disorder (otitis media and otitis externa), as there is no evidence of current disabilities. However, the Veteran's skin lesions affecting his thighs are found to be aggravated by his service-connected low back condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has not provided sufficient medical evidence or credible lay testimony to establish a current disability for his claimed bilateral ear disorder and asthma. The skin lesions on his thighs, however, were noted during service and have been aggravated by treatment of his service-connected low back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ear disorder, chronic respiratory disorder, skin lesions
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2013
- Citation
- 1309991
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 1309991.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ear disorder, finding no current diagnosis of such condition and noting that his complaints do not amount to functional impairment related to a diagnosed bilateral ear disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition, finding that there is not an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence to support the claim. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's skin conditions are less likely than not related to his in-service exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for adjustment disorder with depression, insomnia, and anxiety as secondary to service-connected tinnitus but denied an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss and an increased rating for tinnitus. The remaining claims were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including headaches, nervous condition, skin lesions, sleep apnea, and heart condition/atrial fibrillation, to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
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