The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and restoration of a rating were granted. The hearing loss disability remains noncompensably disabling, the hepatitis C is rated as noncompensably disabling with intermittent fatigue and arthralgia, and the degenerative spondylosis of L5 with spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 has been restored to 40 percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations provided evidence that supported the Veteran's complaints of fatigue and arthralgia related to his hepatitis C. The hearing loss disability was rated as noncompensably disabling due to mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, which did not affect employment under less than ideal listening conditions. The degenerative spondylosis of L5 with spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 had been previously reduced and restored to 40 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hepatitis C, degenerative spondylosis of L5 with spondylolisthesis of L5-S1
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- April 15, 2015
- Citation
- 1516240
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 1516240.
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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