The Board has separated the Veteran's bilateral ear disability claim into three separate issues: hearing loss, headaches, and congenital stenosis of the ear canals with otitis externa. After considering all evidence, including VA and private medical opinions, the Board finds that service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss but denied for both headaches and a bilateral ear disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for a bilateral ear disability as there is no current diagnosis of this condition. The other two issues (hearing loss and headaches) have been found to be service connected based on the evidence in favor of the claim, including medical opinions that support the Veteran's assertions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, headaches, congenital stenosis of the ear canals with otitis externa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1814321
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 1814321.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
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