The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as service connected, but his initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis is denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current hearing loss was not related to military noise exposure, while the April 2018 VA examiner concluded it was at least as likely as not due to this hazardous noise exposure. For allergic rhinitis, the February 2017 VA examination did not reveal signs of nasal obstruction.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Allergic Rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- March 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23014014
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 23014014.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's allergic rhinitis is currently rated as 10 percent disabling prior to September 16, 2024 and noncompensable thereafter. The Board found the evidence against finding that his condition met the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims based on in-service noise exposure or other theories.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for allergic rhinitis was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6522.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the VA medical exams provided are inadequate for rating purposes and remands the case to obtain an adequate examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's service-connected allergic rhinitis. The Veteran is entitled to a higher disability rating for his service-connected allergic rhinitis.
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