The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that new and material evidence was not received to reopen his left shoulder disability claim. The Veteran's hearing loss and knee disabilities were also denied. His right shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, and his skin and wrist conditions did not meet criteria for a compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the submitted evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim of service connection for a left shoulder disability as secondary to his service-connected right shoulder disability. The Veteran's hearing loss and knee disabilities were denied due to lack of current disability meeting VA criteria. His right shoulder disability was rated at 20 percent, which is the maximum rating available under DC 5201.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bilateral Knee Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Skin Disability, Left Wrist Disability, Costochondritis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 5, 2018
- Citation
- 1820334
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 1820334.
What this means for you
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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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