The Veteran's left ankle disorder is denied as there is no persuasive evidence that it began during service or is related to an in-service injury.,The Veteran's right and left arm scars are not painful, unstable, or measure more than 144 square inches (929 square centimeters), thus denying initial compensable ratings under Diagnostic Codes 7802 and 7804.,Starting October 28, 2019, the Veteran's right and left arm scars are painful but not unstable or measure more than 144 square inches (929 square centimeters), thus denying a disability rating in excess of 10 percent under Diagnostic Code 7804.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as his hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show that the left ankle disorder began during service or was related to any in-service injury, event, or disease. The Veteran's medical records were silent for complaints of left ankle pain until many years after he was discharged from service.,The scars are not painful, unstable, or measure more than 144 square inches (929 square centimeters), thus not meeting the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Codes 7802 and 7804. The Veteran's right and left arm scars were also not found to be unstable or painful after October 28, 2019.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for an initial compensable rating as his hearing acuity was no worse than Level II in the right ear and level III in the left ear.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle disorder, Scar, right forearm, Scar, left forearm, Painful right and left upper extremity scars, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24054564
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 A24054564.
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Related decisions
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The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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