The Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss, as well as degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, are granted. The calcaneal spurs of both feet receive a 10 percent rating.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established for right and left ear hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure and persistence of symptoms since discharge. Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is considered direct service connection as there were no significant back injuries during service, but the Veteran's current condition can be attributed to his combat-related stress.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, calcaneal spurs of the right foot, calcaneal spurs of the left foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19129396
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.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of left ear hearing loss due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as an addendum opinion is necessary to address evidence of in-service hearing loss and convert audiometric testing results from ASA to ISO-ANSI standards.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a finding of etiological relation to in-service noise exposure.
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