The Board denied the veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the current ratings adequately reflected the severity of his disabilities. The service connection claims for pulmonary fibrosis and tuberculosis were also denied.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show that the veteran's symptoms resulted in considerable impairment of health or that he had residuals from a surgical scar associated with his hiatal hernia, nor did it demonstrate exceptional patterns of hearing impairment for bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Hiatal Hernia with Gastroesophageal Reflux, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2004
- Citation
- 0432764
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 0432764.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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