The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a current disability. The TDIU claim was granted based on his combined schedular rating of 70% due to multiple disabilities, including diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and his service connection claim is denied. For the TDIU claim, the Veteran's combined schedular rating meets the criteria as he has at least one 40% rated condition (diabetes mellitus) and a combined rating of 70%. The disabilities are considered to be one 60% disability due to their common etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 26, 2017
- Citation
- 1701984
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 1701984.
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.
- 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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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