The Veteran's skin disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and left shoulder disability have been granted service connection. The Veteran is awarded a non-compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss and the claim for an increased rating for his left shoulder disability remains pending.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on objective indications of a chronic disability resulting from undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained multi-symptom illness, as per the provisions under 38 C.F.R. § 3.317. The non-compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is due to the Veteran's current level of hearing acuity not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Skin Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Shoulder Disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 1, 2022
- Citation
- 22061143
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 22061143.
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.
- 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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