The Board granted service connection for respiratory issues and right ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence supported a direct link between the Veteran's respiratory issues and right ear hearing loss to his military service, despite conflicting opinions from VA examiners. The Board applied the benefit of the doubt rule.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory issues, right ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- May 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25040123
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 appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor based on a finding of etiological relation to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for asthma to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including obtaining additional evidence and a medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left foot condition, right foot condition, cellulitis, right ear hearing loss, and right lower extremity radiculopathy. The appeal of the proposal to reduce a 40 percent evaluation for lumbosacral strain was dismissed.
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