The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for residual scar, excision of neoplasm posterior neck was denied as the evidence did not show at least one characteristic of disfigurement.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied because there is no current diagnosis and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran had hearing loss during service or due to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's scar did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7800 as he did not have at least one characteristic of disfigurement.,There is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran had hearing loss during service or due to an in-service injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Residual scar, excision of neoplasm posterior neck, Bilateral hearing loss, Degenerative arthritis of the right knee, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Respiratory disability, to include uncontrolled coughing
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19143025
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · Granted: 23% (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 19143025.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), finding that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of these conditions.
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