The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no evidence of perforation of the left eardrum or residuals of a head injury with memory loss post-service, thus denying these claims. For his service-connected lumbar strain, the Board determined that there was not sufficient evidence to warrant higher ratings prior to May 1, 2018 and beginning May 1, 2018.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not present any current medical evidence of perforation of the left eardrum or residuals of a head injury with memory loss post-service. The Board found that there was no objective medical evidence to support these claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Perforation of left eardrum, Residuals of head injury (claimed as memory loss)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18156619
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18156619.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected perforated left eardrum, fractures of the 4th and 5th metacarpals of the right hand, and right wrist fracture with arthritis have been denied. The maximum available ratings under VA's rating schedule are already assigned.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied all three issues regarding initial ratings for hearing loss and perforated eardrums, finding that the veteran's conditions did not meet the schedular criteria for a compensable rating.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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