The Veteran's claim for service connection for shingles is granted. The Board finds that the evidence supports a current diagnosis of shingles, which was related to an in-service chicken pox infection. For his bilateral hearing loss prior to January 5, 2012, the Veteran is awarded a 20% rating; since then, he is awarded a 50% rating.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is relative equipoise of evidence regarding the current diagnosis of shingles and granted service connection for it. For his bilateral hearing loss, the Board determined that the evidence supported ratings of 20% prior to January 5, 2012, and 50% since then.
- Claimed conditions
- shingles, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- November 4, 2013
- Citation
- 1335315
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 1335315.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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