The Veteran's arthritis of the right-hand distal interphalangeal joints of the 3rd and 4th fingers is granted service connection. The Veteran's hearing loss in the left ear prior to March 18, 2020 is denied an initial compensable rating, but a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss since that date is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found sufficient evidence to grant service connection for arthritis of the right-hand distal interphalangeal joints of the 3rd and 4th fingers. For the left ear hearing loss prior to March 18, 2020, the Veteran's hearing acuity did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Arthritis of the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) fingers of the right hand, Hearing loss in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21014258
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 21014258.
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
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the left ear as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as Level I, which corresponds to a noncompensable rating. The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss in the left ear for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection. For the right ear, the Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred during service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for pre-existing hearing loss in both the right and left ears, finding that there was an increase in severity during service without clear and unmistakable evidence of natural progression. The Veteran's exposure to noise trauma while on active duty is acknowledged, as are his symptoms of hearing loss since discharge.
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