The Veteran's appeal is granted, with a 30 percent rating for allergic rhinitis from February 29, 2008. The hearing loss claim remains denied and the initial rating prior to December 13, 2006 is also denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports consistently showed nasal polyps with less than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passages on both sides, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 6522. The Veteran's allergic rhinitis was rated at 30% since December 13, 2006 due to the presence of polyps.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Allergic Rhinitis with Post-surgical excision of nasal polyps and deviated septum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- November 13, 2017
- Citation
- 1751735
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 1751735.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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