The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is denied as it preexisted service and was not aggravated during service.,Service connection for residuals of a left ankle fracture is granted, with the condition being shown to have begun in service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of permanent worsening of the Veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss during service, thus denying service connection. For the left ankle fracture, the Board determined that chronic residuals began in service and granted service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Cellulitis (left leg), Left ear hearing loss, Residuals of left ankle fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19161930
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,987 · Granted: 15% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19161930.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's liver disability has not resulted in any compensable symptoms, as he had a previous history of liver disease but is currently asymptomatic.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated at noncompensable level due to the absence of more than Level I hearing acuity.
- Granted
The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from August 6, 2008 due to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.
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