The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and coronary artery disease (CAD) as the appellant did not serve in the Republic of Vietnam during active military duty. The claims were also denied on a secondary basis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The appellant's service records do not support his claim of having served in the RVN, and there is no credible evidence linking any of the claimed conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, coronary artery disease (CAD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2009
- Citation
- 0933532
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 0933532.
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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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