The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his service, as he did not have a hearing loss disability at separation and there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure. The Board finds the weight of probative evidence against a finding that the current hearing loss is related to service.,The Veteran's COPD with emphysema is not related to his service or Agent Orange exposure, as he did not have any respiratory condition other than COPD at separation and there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents. The Board finds the weight of probative evidence against a finding that the current COPD is related to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable degree within one year after separation from service, and there is no medical opinion linking his current hearing loss to in-service noise exposure. The Board finds the weight of probative evidence against a finding that the current hearing loss is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) with Emphysema
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2018
- Citation
- 18132881
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 18132881.
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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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