The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension was denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities meeting VA criteria. For hearing loss, the Board found that audiometric testing did not show a disability within VA standards. For hypertension, the VA examiner concluded that it was not caused by or related to diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records were silent for complaints or diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss or hypertension. The VA examination and private medical records showed current disabilities but failed to establish a nexus between these conditions and service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 27, 2011
- Citation
- 1120740
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 1120740.
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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