The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative joint disease (arthritis), gout/gouty arthritis, rhinitis, and hypertension. The Veteran's claims for these conditions are supported by credible evidence of in-service acoustic trauma and post-service manifestations of the disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported experiencing loud noises during service, including from an ammunition dump explosion, which he believes contributed to his current hearing loss, arthritis, gout/gouty arthritis, rhinitis, and hypertension. His statements are credible given the circumstances of his service and his ability to observe symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, degenerative joint disease (arthritis), gout/gouty arthritis, rhinitis, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1632716
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 1632716.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
- 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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