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Denied

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as there was no diagnosis of hearing loss in the right ear during the appeal period.,Service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus, respiratory disorder (rhinitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchitis, obstructive sleep apnea), CAD, autoimmune insufficiency with orthostatic hypotension and memory problems, and hyperlipidemia is denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents.,Service connection for bilateral knee disorder is denied as the Veteran did not step foot in Vietnam or have other qualifying service. The Board found subjective arthralgia but acknowledged the Veteran's competence to report on his symptoms.

The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence shows that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of hearing loss in the right ear during the appeal period.,There was no evidence of herbicide exposure and the Veteran did not provide any specific claims regarding other circumstances of herbicide exposure. The service records do not show he served in Vietnam or had other qualifying service for type 2 diabetes mellitus, respiratory disorder, CAD, autoimmune insufficiency with orthostatic hypotension and memory problems, and hyperlipidemia.,The Board found subjective arthralgia but acknowledged the Veteran's competence to report on his symptoms.

Claimed conditions
right ear hearing loss, type 2 diabetes mellitus, bilateral knee disorder, respiratory disorder (rhinitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchitis, obstructive sleep apnea), CAD (coronary artery disease), autoimmune insufficiency with orthostatic hypotension and memory problems, hyperlipidemia
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
June 19, 2018
Citation
18111349

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 18111349.

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