The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability has been rated as 10 percent disabling since March 2009. The VA examination revealed that the Veteran's right and left ear hearing loss are both Level III, resulting in a noncompensable rating.,There is no evidence of diabetes mellitus being incurred or aggravated by service. The Veteran's initial treatment for diabetes mellitus occurred years after his military service ended.
The deciding factor: The VA examination did not show any worsening of the bilateral hearing loss disability during the appeal period, and the current level of impairment does not warrant a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic code.,There is no competent medical evidence linking diabetes mellitus to service. The Veteran's initial treatment for diabetes occurred years after his military service ended.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus, Eye Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2013
- Citation
- 1304645
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 1304645.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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