Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted.,Entitlement to a compensable rating for the left eye condition is denied.,Service connection for depression and/or a mental condition (schizophrenia) is granted with a 100% rating effective October 23, 2018. The claim for service connection for depression and/or a mental condition is dismissed as there remains no case or controversy as to this issue.,Service connection for the right knee condition is denied.,Service connection for hypothyroidism is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was diagnosed in March 2016 and found to be due to military service, with no significant post-service noise exposure. The Board finds that the evidence supports granting service connection for bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's left eye condition is rated as noncompensable because he does not have incapacitating episodes requiring treatment visits during the past 12 months.,Service connection for depression and/or a mental condition (schizophrenia) was granted in May 2021 with a 100% rating effective October 23, 2018. The claim for service connection for depression is dismissed as it is subsumed under the current diagnosis of schizophrenia.,The Veteran's right knee condition does not have an in-service incurrence or medical nexus between his active service and his knee condition which arose more than forty years later.,Service connection for hypothyroidism was granted due to a VA medical opinion that it is related to nonservice-connected head and neck cancer treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, left eye condition (corneal scar), depression and/or a mental condition (schizophrenia), right knee condition, hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- September 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24052896
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 A24052896.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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