The Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted. Service connection for right ear hearing loss is also granted, but the Veteran does not have a current left ear hearing loss disability recognized as a VA disability. The initial ratings for left third digit crush injury with residual flexion loss (left third finger disability), gastroesophageal reflux disease and hiatal hernia (GERD), and carpal tunnel syndrome of both upper extremities are granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to in-service acoustic trauma from IEDs, which satisfies the combat presumption. The left ear hearing loss does not meet VA criteria for a current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Right Ear Hearing Loss, Left Ear Hearing Loss, Left Third Digit Crush Injury with Residual Flexion Loss (Left Third Finger Disability), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Hiatal Hernia (GERD), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) of the Left Upper Extremity, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) of the Right Upper Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- January 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19102135
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,604 · Granted: 65% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102135.
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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