The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss and assigned an effective date of May 1980. The Veteran's pleurisy of the right lung is currently rated as 20 percent disabling, with no higher rating being warranted under any circumstances. The Veteran's scars are currently rated as 20 percent disabling.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not clearly and unmistakably show that there was no permanent increase in disability of the Veteran's preexisting left ear hearing loss disability beyond the natural progress of this disability during the Veteran's first period of active service. The Veteran's pleurisy of the right lung is manifested by right chest pain, but empyema is not shown, and pulmonary function impairment of at least FEV-1 of 56- to 70-percent predicted, or, FEV-1/FVC of 56 to 70 percent; or, DLCO (SB) 56- to 65- percent predicted, is not shown to be attributable to pleurisy. The Veteran's right rib scars are manifested by three painful scars that mildly limit pulmonary function and affect an area exceeding 6 square inches (39 sq. cm), but scars that affect an area exceeding 6 square inches (39 sq. cm) or unstable scar, is not shown; and, pulmonary function impairment of at least FEV-1 of 56- to 70-percent predicted, or, FEV-1/FVC of 56 to 70 percent; or, DLCO (SB) 56- to 65- percent predicted, is not shown to be attributable to scar pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ear Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1722304
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 1722304.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims based on in-service noise exposure or other theories.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a TDIU with a September 19, 2024 effective date based on his PTSD, emphysema, and COPD symptoms. His diabetes, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss were not found to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 19, 2024.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to August 31, 2020.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased evaluations have been remanded due to the need for further evaluation. The effective dates for the grants of service connection are not being granted earlier than November 25, 2019.
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