The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The right ankle disability, excluding surgical periods, is denied an increased rating to more than 20 percent. The left lower extremity radiculitis (femoral) is granted a 20 percent initial rating. Other issues are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be related to service through continuity of symptomatology, resolving reasonable doubt in his favor. For the right ankle disability, there was no ankylosis but moderate limitation of motion. The left lower extremity radiculitis (femoral) met criteria for a 20 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Right ankle disability, Lumbar spine disability, Sciatic radiculitis of the right lower extremity, Sciatic radiculitis of the left lower extremity (femoral)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- April 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19130455
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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