The Board denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, remanded increased initial rating claims for the Veteran's left shoulder and left ankle injury, and remanded a claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence was against finding that the Veteran had a current left ear hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. The Board also found that further examination was necessary to properly assess the severity of the Veteran's left shoulder and left ankle disabilities, and for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Left shoulder disability, Left ankle injury, Acquired psychiatric disability (depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2022
- Citation
- 22000088
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 appeal for increased ratings for right and left shoulder disabilities, as the evidence did not support a higher rating under applicable criteria.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted a 10 percent disability rating for osteoarthritis of the right hand and service connection for a left shoulder disability.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
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