The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for service connection, as well as his claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, asbestosis, PTSD, and cysts on the face, arm, back, and thigh. The Veteran was granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome with a 10% rating effective September 3, 2004.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support higher ratings or earlier effective dates for any of the conditions listed in the decision summary.
- Claimed conditions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Asbestosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2009
- Citation
- 0938288
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 0938288.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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