The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and COPD, but denied them on the merits. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was not supported by new evidence related to the etiology of the condition. The claim for COPD was reopened due to a November 2004 VA examination report that is material to the etiology of the veteran's COPD.
The deciding factor: The Board found no new and relevant evidence in the claims file, particularly regarding the relationship between the veteran's hearing loss or COPD and his service. The only new evidence considered was a November 2004 VA examination report which is material to the etiology of COPD but not related to bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 10, 2006
- Citation
- 0613590
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,645 · Granted: 19% (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 0613590.
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 Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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