The Veteran's left ear hearing loss was not present during service or for years thereafter and was not caused by any incident of service.,The Veteran’s right lower extremity neuropathy had its onset during the Veteran’s active military service, and his left lower extremity neuropathy also had its onset during the Veteran’s active military service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.
The deciding factor: Without evidence of left ear hearing loss in service or a diagnosis or symptoms within a year after service, and competent medical evidence relating the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss to his active military service, the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss must be denied.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Left foot disability, Left leg disability, Left lower extremity neuropathy, Left upper extremity neuropathy, Right leg disability, Right lower extremity neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19123022
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 19123022.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Veteran's right and left foot disabilities are currently rated at 10 percent each, but the Board found that they do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic codes.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for acne vulgaris is dismissed. Service connection for tinnitus is granted, but the left foot disability claim is remanded.
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