The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability for service connection purposes due to his bilateral hearing loss, as there is no evidence of a hearing loss disability during service or within one year after separation. The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any complaints or findings of hearing loss until 1973, which was well after separation from active duty.,The Board has determined that the Veteran does have a current disability for service connection purposes due to his bladder cancer, as he served in Vietnam and is presumed exposed to Agent Orange. The February 2016 private medical opinion supports this finding.
The deciding factor: Service treatment records do not show any complaints or findings of hearing loss until after separation from active duty service. Therefore, the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is not related to his military service.,The Veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange during his military service. The February 2016 private medical opinion supports a finding that this exposure caused the Veteran's bladder cancer.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bladder Cancer, Acquired Psychiatric Disorders (Other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, unspecified depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2016
- Citation
- 1613555
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 1613555.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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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