The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss did not play a material causal role in his death. The VA medical opinion supports this finding, as it notes no evidence of difficulty understanding instructions from health care providers due to hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Veteran demonstrated understanding in VA settings prior to and after the development of bladder cancer, which is less likely than not related to his service-connected hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder Cancer, Hearing Impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1624104
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1624104.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted a 10 percent rating for the period prior to August 10, 2022. The Veteran's bladder cancer received a 100 percent rating from March 7, 2018 until September 8, 2018.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer effective from December 16, 2005, finding that the Veteran had a claim pending since then.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's psychiatric disability, hypertension, and bladder cancer are granted service connection. The Board has remanded the cases for further development regarding herbicide exposure claims.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's bladder cancer residuals were denied as service connection was not established due to lack of in-service exposure to herbicides or asbestos, and the current disability is not related to his service.
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