The Board denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and higher initial ratings for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The Veteran's hearing loss was rated as noncompensable. For hypertension, a rating of 10 percent prior to April 6, 2006, and 10 percent thereafter is granted. GERD remains at a noncompensable level.
The deciding factor: The audiometric test results did not provide for assigning a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The hypertension rating was based on the effective date of award. The GERD rating remained at noncompensable due to lack of symptoms or treatment during the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0931010
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 0931010.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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