The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, which precluded presumptive service connection. For heart disease, the claim was denied as there was no in-service onset or continuity of symptoms after discharge. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the Board noted that while the Veteran reported noise exposure, there is insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between his current conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have presumptive service connection for heart disease due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam, as he was not present on board vessels during inland waterways. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, there is no medical evidence linking these conditions to service or noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1813614
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 1813614.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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