The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic retinopathy as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II, and end stage renal disease as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II. The veteran's conditions are found to be the result of his active service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the veteran experienced acoustic trauma during active service which resulted in bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed prior to June 1956, with symptoms such as polyuria and visual changes being early indicators of hyperglycemia. The Board found these conditions were related to his active service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II, diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, end stage renal disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 12, 2008
- Citation
- 0831001
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 0831001.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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