The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, gout, and hypertension as the evidence did not show a relationship to active military service.
The deciding factor: Service records showed no complaints or findings of hearing loss, gout, or hypertension during service. The VA examination found current hearing loss was more likely due to post-service occupational noise exposure or age, and there was no clinical manifestation of the disabilities within one year of discharge for hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- {"conditionName":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"conditionName":"Gout"}, {"conditionName":"Hypertension"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2009
- Citation
- 0945964
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0945964.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and an increased rating for her right inguinal hernia scar. The Veteran's hypertension was not found to be related to active duty or a service-connected disability, and there is no evidence of hypertension within one year of separation from service. The reduction in the disability rating for the hernia scar was deemed proper.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for chloracne, high cholesterol, headache disability, hypertension, and blood clots is denied as there is no current diagnosis of any of these conditions.,The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during service has not been established.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for a skin disorder, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), headaches, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities have been denied. The Board found that new evidence did not reopen the claim for a skin disorder, and that there was no nexus between any of these conditions and service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus has not required regulation of activities due to its severity.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for tinnitus and the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen previously denied claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral leg numbness have been withdrawn.,PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 9411. The Veteran's PTSD results in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, flattened affect, circumstantial speech, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective relationships.,The Veteran's service-connected residuals of gunshot wound to the right shoulder are currently rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 5303.
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