The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not meet the statutory criteria for a diagnosis of hearing loss.,The Veteran's claims for skin disabilities affecting his hands and trunk, and feet are denied as he does not have current diagnoses of these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for residuals, to include scarring, due to MRSA infection is granted.
The deciding factor: None of the auditory thresholds meet the criteria for a diagnosis of hearing loss under VA regulations. The Veteran did not present with symptoms that would indicate a current disability.,There are no current diagnoses of skin disorders affecting the hands and trunk or feet. The Veteran denied any chronic conditions during examinations and treatment records.,The right hip scar is considered a residual of an in-service MRSA infection, which meets the criteria for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Skin disorder affecting the bilateral hands and trunk, Skin condition affecting the bilateral feet
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23048459
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 23048459.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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