The Board found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and ischemic heart disease do not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The TDIU claim was also denied as there is no evidence showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinions provided were against a finding of in-service etiology for the Veteran's current hearing loss and heart disease, and the weight of the evidence did not support his contention that he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2016
- Citation
- 1621668
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 1621668.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
- 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.
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