The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected as it did not manifest within one year of separation from service and there is no evidence linking the current condition to in-service noise exposure.,There is insufficient credible evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral wrist disability and his active duty service. The Veteran reported that he had wrist pain related to his duties as a teletype operator, but did not seek medical treatment for it during service.,The Veteran also does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disability linked to service. He testified that he sprained his ankles due to jumping off the tank and marching on rough terrain in service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing chronic symptoms of hearing loss during service or within one year after separation, and the Veteran's current hearing loss was not caused by military noise exposure. The Veteran did not seek medical treatment for his wrist pain during service, and there is insufficient credible evidence linking his ankle sprains to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bilateral Wrist Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2018
- Citation
- 1806875
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 1806875.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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