The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for a lumbar spine disability is denied because there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or incapacitating episodes meeting the required duration.,The Veteran's claims for ratings in excess of 20 percent for radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremities are denied as they do not meet the criteria for a higher rating based on functional loss due to pain, guarding, muscle spasms, or other factors.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities because his pure tone thresholds and speech discrimination scores do not indicate an exceptional pattern of hearing loss. The Board finds that the evidence does not support entitlement to a higher rating based on functional loss due to pain or other factors.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21026781
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 21026781.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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