The Board granted an earlier effective date of January 7, 2011, for the assignment of a higher, 40-percent rating for ankylosis of left ankle and denied a rating in excess of 40 percent. Service connection was also granted for bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the Veteran's competent and credible report of an in-service onset of bilateral hearing loss that has recurred to the present, and the fact that he was exposed to acoustic trauma during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Emphysema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- October 8, 2024
- Citation
- 24031565
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.
- Denied
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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