The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss and nasal polyps, as there was no evidence to support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The January 2007 VA examination found that the veteran's current degree of hearing loss was more than expected due to aging alone, but the available evidence did not allow for a reliable assessment of other possible etiologies such as military noise exposure or occupational noise exposure. The veteran could not recall whether he had appreciable hearing difficulties in service or soon after.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Nasal polyps
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2009
- Citation
- 0900289
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease and intervertebral disc syndrome, cervical spine; cervical spine radiculopathy, right upper extremity; coronary artery disease; and right ear hearing loss.
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