The Veteran's thoracic muscle strain and right ear hearing loss are granted as service connected.,An initial noncompensable disability rating is denied for bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on the Veteran's credible lay statements of continuous back pain symptoms since separation from service, despite a VA examiner's opinion suggesting a hiatus in diagnosis and treatment. The Board found these statements to be credible.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not considered related to his active duty service due to normal hearing at both entrance and exit examinations with no significant shift in thresholds.
- Claimed conditions
- thoracic muscle strain, right ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- December 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23066962
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 23066962.
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 claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of right ear hearing loss, and the case is dismissed.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of sleep apnea, left lower extremity (LLE) sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and right ear hearing loss due to untimely filing.,The Board also dismissed the appeal for service connection of left ear hearing loss as moot because it was already granted in a prior decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss. The Veteran does not have left ear hearing loss for VA purposes.
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