The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for scars of the right hand was denied as his scars do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was also denied, as his current 30 percent rating adequately reflects the severity and symptomatology of his disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s scars were rated noncompensably disabling under DC 7805 due to their lack of painfulness or instability, and they did not occupy an area greater than 144 square inches.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was evaluated as 30 percent disabling based on the average decibel loss in both ears. The VA audiometric examinations showed that his puretone thresholds were within ranges that resulted in a 20 or 30 percent evaluation, depending on which the application of Table VI and Table VIa.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, scars of the right hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- November 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19183145
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19183145.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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