The Veteran's claims for service connection for a prostate condition, heart disease (aortic stenosis and atherosclerosis), and stroke are denied as his duties did not place him on or near the base perimeter where herbicides were used. His claim for hearing loss is also denied due to lack of evidence showing it meets the criteria for a compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's duties as an interpreter at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB in Thailand did not place him on or near the base perimeter where herbicides were used, thus his claims for service connection are denied.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Prostate Condition, Aortic Stenosis (Heart Disease), Residuals of a Stroke
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2015
- Citation
- 1508490
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 1508490.
What this means for you
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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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