The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and left ear hearing loss have been granted. The claim seeking an earlier effective date for PTSD has been dismissed.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is granted as secondary to diabetes mellitus, and service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses of peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities and left ear hearing loss are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection for PTSD was denied because the claim is a freestanding request, which cannot be adjudicated without first addressing the finality of the March 2017 rating decision.
- Claimed conditions
- Peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, Peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, Left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 28, 2021
- Citation
- 21077136
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 21077136.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's liver disability has not resulted in any compensable symptoms, as he had a previous history of liver disease but is currently asymptomatic.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated at noncompensable level due to the absence of more than Level I hearing acuity.
- Granted
The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from August 6, 2008 due to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.
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