The Veteran's left ankle sprain is currently rated at 10 percent, and the claim for an increased rating is denied.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 50 percent, and the claim for an increased rating is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50 percent evaluation of his bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and assistance housebound status is denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support the need for a higher rating in excess of 10 percent for left ankle sprain, as there is no marked limitation of motion. The current evaluation adequately reflects the Veteran's disability.,The evidence does not support an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss, as the audiometric results do not meet the criteria for exceptional pattern of hearing impairment or other conditions that would warrant a higher rating based on pure tone thresholds alone.,There is no indication that the Veteran's entitlement to a higher evaluation arose prior to November 17, 2015. The effective date cannot be earlier than the date of his claim for an increased rating for hearing loss.,The evidence does not show that the Veteran requires regular aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle sprain, hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20029435
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 20029435.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, it was determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, thus denying both claims.
- Denied
The Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's high cholesterol, dementia, stroke, prostate cancer, cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, CHF, and myocardial infarction claims are denied due to lack of service connection evidence or insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.,The Veteran was exposed to toxins during his military service but there is no evidence linking these exposures to any of the claimed conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.,Given the grant of TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD, the Veteran has a single service-connected disability rated as total (PTSD) and additional service-connected disabilities independently ratable at 60 percent or more.
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