Service connection granted for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, myelodysplastic syndrome, neuropathy of the left and right lower extremities, but denied for tinnitus. An initial compensable rating was not granted for recurrent furunculosis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's in-service exposure to noise trauma is presumed to have caused his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, myelodysplastic syndrome (due to herbicide exposure), and neuropathy of the lower extremities. The Veteran's tinnitus claim lacks contemporaneous evidence. Service connection for recurrent furunculosis was not granted as it did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, myelodysplastic syndrome, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, neuropathy of the right lower extremity, recurrent furunculosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149522
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for headaches and remanded claims for service connection for various other conditions, including open angle glaucoma, sensorineural hearing loss, asthma, heart disease, bladder cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hyperthyroidism as secondary to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and for neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities and right eye exophthalmos and diplopia as secondary to service-connected hypothyroidism.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the claim for service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied claims for right ankle calcaneal enthesopathy and left ankle calcaneal enthesopathy. The remaining claims were remanded for further development.
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