The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a stomach disability, which were previously denied in October 2002. The Veteran now has established a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and his spouse provided lay testimony supporting worsening symptoms since active service.
The deciding factor: The newly submitted evidence includes private audiological evaluations demonstrating current bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes and lay statements/testimony regarding the progression of hearing loss symptoms since service, which relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, stomach disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 20, 2011
- Citation
- 1146402
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 1146402.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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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