The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and awarded a 30 percent disability rating for hiatal hernia with GERD from August 1, 2017. The Veteran's esophageal stricture is rated as noncompensable.
The deciding factor: The evidence was in equipoise regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and hiatal hernia with GERD, leading to a favorable decision on service connection. For hiatal hernia with GERD, the Board found that symptoms were productive of considerable impairment of health from August 1, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, esophageal stricture, hiatal hernia with GERD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- February 28, 2023
- Citation
- 23012097
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 23012097.
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.
- 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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