The Veteran's claim for a right ruptured ear drum was denied in an August 2002 rating decision. The Board found that the February 2015 denial of service connection was final, and no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim. The Veteran filed another supplemental claim on August 20, 2020, which resulted in a grant of service connection for the right ruptured ear drum effective August 20, 2020. However, the Board denied an earlier effective date and a compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The February 2015 denial was final as no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim. The Veteran's supplemental claim filed on August 20, 2020, resulted in service connection being granted but not with an earlier effective date or a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Ruptured Right Ear Drum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2024
- Citation
- A24045703
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24045703.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board finds that the preponderance of competent and credible evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran has a current right ear disability related to a ruptured right ear drum during his active duty service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
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