The Veteran's appeal is denied for a rating in excess of 20 percent for shell fragment wound of the left deltoid, and for ratings in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from January 21, 2014 onwards. The Veteran also has his initial compensable rating for left deltoid residual scar associated with shell fragment wound denied.,The Veteran's tinnitus is not rated higher than 10 percent since January 21, 2014. His arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease from March 26, 2013 to February 14, 2017 was rated at 60 percent and from February 15, 2017 onwards at 100 percent.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not rated higher than 20 percent.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support additional staged ratings for any time period on appeal. The Veteran’s symptoms are most consistent with his current rating of 20 percent based on a moderately severe muscle injury of the minor arm.,The criteria for an increased rating have not been met as there is no documentation of documented coronary artery disease, left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30 percent, or total occupational and social impairment. The Veteran’s hearing loss has improved from level II to level V in the right ear and level V in the left ear.,The criteria for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent have not been met as there is no evidence of severe disorder impacting the Veteran's ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound of the left deltoid, bilateral hearing loss, arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, tinnitus, left deltoid residual scar associated with shell fragment wound, diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19119364
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19119364.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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