The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral pes cavus and bilateral hearing loss were not incurred or aggravated by active service. The Board concluded that the Veteran's pes cavus preexisted service and was not aggravated in service, while his hearing loss did not meet VA criteria for a disability due to noise exposure during service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that the Veteran's bilateral pes cavus existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service. The Board also found that the Veteran's post-service noise exposure likely contributed to his current hearing loss, making it less likely than not related to in-service noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral pes cavus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2015
- Citation
- 1502445
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 1502445.
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.
- 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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