The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for COPD was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for an initial increased rating for his hearing loss, as his current level of hearing impairment does not warrant a higher rating under VA regulations. For COPD, the Board determined there is no evidence to support a finding of in-service exposure to mustard gas or other chemicals and concluded that the Veteran's current diagnosis of COPD was not related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for an increased rating as his hearing impairment levels were found to be level I, which corresponds to noncompensable disability under VA regulations. For COPD, there was no evidence supporting a finding that the condition was incurred in or aggravated by service due to exposure to mustard gas and other chemicals.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 28, 2009
- Citation
- 0936813
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 0936813.
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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