The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the appeal period.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his residual scar of the left index finger was also denied due to lack of evidence showing that the condition resulted in any disabling effects not already contemplated by the rating criteria.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability as defined by VA standards, and there is no medical evidence demonstrating symptoms or impairment related to his claimed bilateral hearing loss during the appeal period.,While the Veteran reported occasional pain over his scar, the VA examiner did not find any limitation of function resulting from the scar. The private physician's opinion also noted that the scar was not painful enough to warrant a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, residual scar of the left index finger
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2023
- Citation
- 23061399
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 23061399.
What this means for you
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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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