The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability.,Service connection for Vitamin D deficiency is denied because it is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes.,Periodontal disease (gingivitis) is not considered a compensable disability, and the Veteran's claim must be denied.,The Veteran's vertigo is rated as 10 percent disabling based on occasional dizziness. A higher rating of 30 percent is not warranted due to lack of evidence of staggering.,Tinnitus in the left ear is currently assigned a 10 percent rating, which is the maximum available under Diagnostic Code 6260.,The Veteran's exercise-induced asthma does not meet the criteria for a compensable initial rating based on his PFT results and medication use.,Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is rated as noncompensable due to lack of specific diagnostic codes, with GERD being rated by analogy under Diagnostic Code 7399-7346.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current disability for bilateral hearing loss and the evidence shows no impairment in earning capacity from Vitamin D deficiency.,Periodontal disease is not considered a compensable disability, and therefore, service connection cannot be granted.,There is no legal basis to grant a higher rating as there is no evidence of dizziness and occasional staggering.,The Veteran's tinnitus does not meet the criteria for a 30 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 6260 due to lack of evidence of intermittent inhalational or oral bronchodilator therapy.,The Veteran's exercise-induced asthma does not meet the criteria for a compensable initial rating based on his PFT results and medication use.,Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is rated as noncompensable due to lack of specific diagnostic codes, with GERD being rated by analogy under Diagnostic Code 7399-7346.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss (claimed as bilateral cerumen impaction causing hearing loss), Vitamin D deficiency, Periodontal disease (claimed as gingivitis), Vertigo (claimed as positional paroxysmal vertigo and bilateral vestibular weakness secondary to bilateral cerumen impaction causing hearing loss), Tinnitus, left ear, Exercise-induced asthma, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (claimed as hiatal hernia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18148733
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 18148733.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for travel expenses to the Reno VAMC on May 18, 2022 was granted as he could not have received his primary care at a closer VA facility.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD with exercise-induced asthma is granted an increased rating of 10 percent prior to February 27, 2025, and a 30 percent rating from February 27, 2025 to May 12, 2025, and a 10 percent rating thereafter.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for deep vein thrombosis, hyperlipidemia, vitamin D deficiency, pre-diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's hypertension was not found to be compensable, and the ratings for his depressive disorder and tinnitus were also denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for rhinitis and disability manifested by shortness of breath, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and Vitamin D deficiency. The Board also granted an initial 20 percent rating for thoracolumbar spine strain.
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