The Board denied the claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for pseudofolliculitis barbae and a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PFB did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as it affected less than 20 to 40 percent of his body or exposed areas, and no systemic treatment was required. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss had an average pure tone threshold of 40 decibels and speech recognition ability of 94%, which did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, left ear, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25054720
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 882 · Granted: 35% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25054720.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded several service connection claims due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.,Service connection is denied for tinnitus.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) and remanded the issues of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, PFB, and an earlier effective date for service connection of PFB.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for painful pseudofolliculitis barbae scars is granted, and service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and left ear hearing loss are both granted. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae scars remains pending.
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