The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a respiratory disorder were denied as there is no evidence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The Board found that the current diagnoses are not related to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: There was no indication of hearing loss or respiratory disorders during service, and the Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(a).
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Respiratory Disorder, Tumor, Hypertension, Heart Disorder, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include Depression)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2018
- Citation
- 1800298
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 1800298.
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
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The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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