The Board denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and remanded several service connection claims due to incomplete medical records.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of a compensable rating for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, as the audiometric test results indicated only noncompensable levels of hearing acuity in both ears. The Board also found that further development was necessary for several service connection claims due to potential missing medical records from the Veteran's time with the USN and USMC.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Bilateral pes planus, Respiratory disability (to include as due to an undiagnosed illness), Left shoulder disability (to include as due to an undiagnosed illness), Right shoulder disability (to include as due to an undiagnosed illness), Sleep apnea, Cephalgia (to include as due to an undiagnosed illness)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2024
- Citation
- 24032978
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of November 5, 2021, for the grants of service connection and eligibility for DEA benefits.
- 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.
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