The Veteran's appeal of the ratings for bilateral hearing loss and diabetic retinopathy with bilateral cataracts remains pending. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also pending.
The deciding factor: VA has not provided a sufficient rationale to grant compensable ratings for the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and diabetic retinopathy with bilateral cataracts, as the evidence does not support such findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetic Retinopathy with Bilateral Cataracts
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2017
- Citation
- 1705857
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 1705857.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- 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.
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