The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for upper respiratory disorder and high frequency hearing loss, left ear. The claim for increased evaluation of residuals of shell fragment wound, right wrist with retained foreign body was not addressed as it is no longer on appeal due to a grant of service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a nexus between the appellant's current respiratory disorders and his military service or exposure to Agent Orange. The claim for high frequency hearing loss, left ear was also denied as there was no showing that it met the criteria for compensation under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- respiratory disorder, upper respiratory disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2000
- Citation
- 0004264
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 0004264.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an upper respiratory disorder, to include as due to exposure to environmental hazards during the Persian Gulf War, as there was no current diagnosis of such a condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for sleep apnea was dismissed due to untimely filing of the notice of disagreement. The appeals for a respiratory disorder and increased evaluation for low back disability were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a respiratory disorder, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension, as well as entitlement to a special monthly pension, due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
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