The Veteran's left eye pterygium was diagnosed during service and is considered to be related to his active duty service. However, the right eye pterygium was not diagnosed until years after service.,There is no evidence of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus in service or within one year post-service. The Veteran's current complaints do not meet VA criteria for these conditions.
The deciding factor: The December 2014 VA examination found that the Veteran's right eye pterygium was unrelated to his period of active duty service, as it appeared approximately 20 years after separation from service. The left eye pterygium is considered related due to its diagnosis during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Eye Pterygium, Right Eye Pterygium, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1537476
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 1537476.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
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