The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a heart disorder, to include as secondary to hypertension, was denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability under VA standards and did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of hearing loss. For his heart disorder, the evidence showed coronary atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure but no service connection could be established due to lack of continuity of symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's auditory thresholds were within normal limits in May 2009 VA examination, failing to meet the criteria for hearing loss under VA regulations. The evidence did not show a showing of continuity of symptoms after discharge and thus service connection could not be established.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Heart Disorder (including coronary atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2014
- Citation
- 1437983
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 1437983.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
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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