The Veteran has a current bilateral hearing loss disability that is at least as likely as not related to his military service, specifically the noise exposure during combat in Vietnam. The Board grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records show evidence of hearing loss upon entry and discharge from service, with significant shifts in hearing thresholds during service. The Veteran's lay testimony regarding acoustic trauma sustained in combat is credible given his military history and the circumstances of his service. His current bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to this in-service noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Hypertension, Back condition, Gall bladder condition, Lung condition (including as secondary to exposure to herbicides), Bilateral hearing loss, Throat condition (claimed as a residual of removal of a benign lesion from the right vocal chord)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 21, 2012
- Citation
- 1232596
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 1232596.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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