The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated at zero percent prior to September 9, 2020 and at ten percent thereafter. The Board found no evidence of a worsening of the disability earlier in the appeal period.,Service connection for COPD was denied as there is no persuasive evidence that the current condition began during service or is related to an in-service injury.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to September 9, 2020 and after. The Board found that the functional effects of his bilateral hearing loss were already considered by the schedular rating criteria.,The VA examiner concluded that the COPD is less likely than not related to an in-service injury or disease, including pneumonia during service. The Veteran's current diagnosis was noted as unrelated to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22036039
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 22036039.
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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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