The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is rated as noncompensable, with no improvement sought.,The Veteran's DDD with facet arthritis disability remains at a 20 percent rating. The case was remanded for further development and readjudication.,A separate 10 percent rating has been granted for the Veteran's sciatica, left lumbar disability associated with his DDD with facet arthritis.
The deciding factor: The audiometric evaluations did not reveal results warranting a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The objective measurements of hearing acuity fall outside the realm of common knowledge of a layperson and are more probative than the Veteran’s subjective complaints.,The May 2016 VA C&P examination report indicated that the Veteran's forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine was not limited to 30 degrees or less, nor did he have ankylosis. The examiner concluded there is no functional impairment of an extremity such that no effective function remains other than what would be equally well served by an amputation with prosthesis.,The May 2016 VA C&P examination report indicated the Veteran's sciatica, left lumbar disability associated with his DDD with facet arthritis demonstrated symptoms of mild intermittent pain and paresthesias; however, these were not severe enough to warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) with Facet Arthritis, Sciatica, Left Lumbar Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 3, 2020
- Citation
- 20058395
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 20058395.
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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 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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