The Veteran's chronic suppurative otitis media and chronic otitis externa are each rated at 10 percent, effective from April 10, 2009. The Veteran's depression is rated at 70 percent from May 20, 2008 to December 2, 2015.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran’s chronic suppurative otitis media and chronic otitis externa warrant a 10 percent rating throughout the period on appeal. The Veteran's depression warrants a 70 percent rating from May 20, 2008 to December 2, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Chronic Otitis Externa, Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- February 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19109005
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19109005.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for Meniere's Syndrome, but the case is remanded to determine if a separate rating is warranted for chronic otitis externa.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected conditions did not render him incapable of performing daily activities or require regular aid and attendance. The Board denied SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were denied. The Veteran was not granted a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss or chronic otitis externa, and the Board found that he did not meet the criteria for a TDIU due to lack of substantial evidence regarding his employment history.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected chronic otitis externa with Eustachian tube dysfunction warrants a rating of 10 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6210. The symptoms described are adequately covered by this rating.
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