The Board denied service connection for a pulmonary disability and a bilateral ear disability, other than hearing loss and tinnitus. The Veteran was also found not to have a compensable evaluation for his hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's claimed conditions were related to his active military service or any incident therein.
- Claimed conditions
- pulmonary disability, to include asbestosis, bilateral ear disability, other than hearing loss and tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0909603
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 0909603.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the claims of service connection for pulmonary disability and bilateral hearing loss. The case will be readjudicated after the completion of the requested actions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the relationship between his pulmonary disability and hearing loss, including consideration of service exposure. The claims will be reconsidered following this development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VA examination and further development is needed.
- Granted
The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected due to in-service noise exposure.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.