The Veteran's service connection claim for dermatitis is granted, and his increased rating claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board found that the evidence was at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran has had continuous dermatitis symptoms since active military service. For the hearing loss claim, the VA audiologist determined that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an exceptional pattern of hearing impairment and assigned a noncompensable rating based on the results from his April 2017 audiological evaluation.
The deciding factor: The evidence was evenly balanced regarding the continuity of dermatitis symptoms since service. The Board found Drs. R and M-Q's reports suggesting a nexus to service for dermatitis type symptoms highly probative, despite VA treatment records not including any specific complaints or findings related to dermatological issues.
- Claimed conditions
- dermatitis, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18154102
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 18154102.
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 Board has granted an effective date of June 8, 2022 for the award of service connection for a skin disability (dermatitis). This decision is based on the receipt of an intent to file dated June 8, 2022.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for service-connected bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied, and the rating assigned prior to September 12, 2024, is noncompensable.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, thoracolumbar levoscoliosis with advanced multilevel DDD and facet arthropathy (low back disability), and cervical spine disability to include cervicalgia (neck disability) due to a lack of VA examination records and an incomplete review of service treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, GERD, Barrett's esophagus, and arrhythmia are remanded due to pre-decisional errors in obtaining necessary medical opinions.
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