The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed bilateral ear disability did not begin during service or is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of a current bilateral ear disability diagnosed on VA examinations. The separation examination showed serous otitis media but no ongoing condition consistent with serous or acute infectious otitis media at separation. The Veteran never had chronic otitis externa or eczema in service, and there were no other diagnosed conditions related to otitis media.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Ear Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2026
- Citation
- 26000973
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 26000973.
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: Partly granted
The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, left hand middle finger disability, bilateral ear disability, and bilateral foot disability due to new evidence. However, these claims are still denied as there is no direct or secondary service connection.,Service connection for gastric ulcer remains pending.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee and right ankle disabilities, but has remanded his claim for bilateral ear disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's initial and increased rating claims for bilateral ear disability, PTSD, and myocardial infarction have been granted. The effective dates are not specified as the claims were based on direct service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The RO denied service connection for bilateral ear disability due to exposure to Agent Orange, and the veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for acne was granted. The issue regarding whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for bilateral ear disability on other than an Agent Orange basis is pending.
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