The Veteran's initial 10 percent rating for right hand finger laceration, residual scar is granted. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The remaining service connection claims are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: Service connection was granted for the right hand finger laceration, residual scar due to pain reported by the Veteran and supported by his testimony during a video conference hearing. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there was no evidence of hearing impairment for VA purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bilateral Wrist Disability, Chest Pain, Endocrine and Genitourinary Disability Due to Exposure to Radiation, Hydraulic Fluid, Depleted Uranium, Jet Fuel and Hydrazine, Hemorrhoids, Left Hip Disability, Left Toe Disability, Lip Papilloma, Low Back Disability, Respiratory Disability (Including Bronchitis), Right Hand Finger Laceration, Residual Scar, Right Knee Disability (Secondary to Service-Connected Left Knee Disability), Sleep Apnea, Throat Disability (Including Pharyngitis and Deviated Nasal Septum)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19194493
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 17% (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 19194493.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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