The Board dismissed the claims for initial compensable ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and erectile dysfunction, restored a 10 percent rating for facial scars, denied an initial compensable rating for a painful scar of the left upper extremity, denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, remanded several issues, and found no basis to grant increased ratings or service connection.
The deciding factor: The reduction in evaluation from 10 percent to a noncompensable rating for facial scars was improper due to lack of sustained improvement. The evidence did not support an initial compensable rating for the painful scar of the left upper extremity, and there was no current diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral plantar fasciitis, Facial scars (forehead, right side of head, front scalp, and chin), Painful scar of the left upper extremity, Erectile dysfunction, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI), Bilateral hearing loss, Hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2024
- Citation
- 24000879
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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