The Board found that the Veteran's right eardrum disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there is no evidence of a pre-existing condition and no indication of any injury during service. The opinion concluded that it is less likely than not that the Veteran's current right eardrum disability had its onset during active duty.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's right eardrum perforation existed prior to his military service, and there was no indication of any injury or event related to auditory trauma during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right eardrum disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 24, 2017
- Citation
- 1709260
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 1709260.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and a need for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an examination.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disability and a right eardrum disability, finding that the evidence did not support a link to service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and right eardrum disability are not related to service, specifically in-service noise exposure. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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