The Veteran's claim for right carpal tunnel was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection is granted.,The Veteran's claim for hearing loss, right ear was reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. Service connection is granted.,Service connection for hearing loss, right ear is denied as there is no current diagnosis meeting VA standards.,Service connection for surgical scars, bilateral shoulders is denied as they do not meet disabling effects under applicable diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The new evidence provided a current diagnosis of bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (right greater than left), which raised the possibility of substantiating the claim as it provides a current diagnosis.,The new evidence included a VA examination and opinion linking any hearing loss to active duty service, raising the possibility of substantiating the claim as it provides a nexus.,There is no current diagnosis meeting VA standards for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran's audiometric results did not meet the threshold criteria to qualify as a disability for VA purposes.,The surgical scars, bilateral shoulders do not meet disabling effects under applicable diagnostic codes.
- Claimed conditions
- right carpal tunnel, hearing loss, right ear, lower back condition, surgical scars, bilateral shoulders
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20014150
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 20014150.
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.
- Denied
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- Denied
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- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back condition, including thoracolumbar spine degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease other than IVDS. The decision finds that the Veteran's current disability is causally related to his military service due to an accident during training in 1963.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower back condition as secondary to his service-connected right knee disability, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's low back condition is proximately due to or the result of his right knee disability.
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