The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure and granted service connection for this condition. The claims for arthritis of the lumbar spine, hands, elbows, and shoulders are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist provided opinions supporting a nexus between the Veteran's current hearing loss and military noise exposure, while another examiner opined that the Veteran's arthritis is related to service based on his history of in-service noise exposure and post-service symptoms. The claims for arthritis are remanded as additional records may be needed.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of the lumbar spine, arthritis of the bilateral hands, arthritis of the right hand, arthritis of the left hand, arthritis of the right elbow, arthritis of the left elbow, arthritis of the right shoulder, arthritis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2009
- Citation
- 0925303
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 0925303.
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.
- 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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