The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, both presumed related to exposure to Agent Orange during service. Service connection was denied for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to lack of evidence showing a current disability within one year after separation from service.,Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss as it likely resulted from active military service. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, presumed related to Agent Orange exposure, was denied.
The deciding factor: The veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is considered a disability under VA regulations due to noise exposure during service.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities is granted based on presumptive service connection due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, as these conditions are associated with such exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Upper Extremities, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Bilateral Lower Extremities
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0819996
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 0819996.
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.
- 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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