The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, CAD, and COPD. The decision found that current hearing loss did not have its onset in service or within one year after separation from active duty. For CAD and COPD, the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred during service or due to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss was less likely as not caused by military noise exposure, given the absence of objective evidence of continuing complaints or findings for almost 40 years between active duty and medical reports dated in 2004. For CAD and COPD, there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, CAD (coronary artery disease), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 22, 2008
- Citation
- 0832308
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 0832308.
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.
- 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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