The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a tumor of the left parotid gland and bilateral hearing loss. The decision found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss, as it was not shown that the condition is related to service or herbicide exposure. Service connection for the tumor of the left parotid gland was also denied due to lack of evidence showing a link between the condition and service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was no new and material evidence received since the February 2006 rating decision, which is final, to reopen the claim of bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's testimony regarding in-service noise exposure did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim as he had already been found service-connected for tinnitus due to noise exposure. For the tumor of the left parotid gland, the Board noted that there was no evidence linking the condition to service or herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- tumor of the left parotid gland, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 24, 2009
- Citation
- 0923843
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 0923843.
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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