The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as 10 percent prior to July 1, 2017. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating.,The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is now rated as noncompensable from July 1, 2017. The issue of entitlement to a compensable staged initial rating for bilateral hearing loss from July 1, 2017 is remanded.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus was not granted due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a staged initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to July 1, 2017 based on VA audiological testing results.,Further development is needed to determine if the Veteran has diabetes mellitus and whether it is related to his service, including exposure to herbicides. The Veteran's contentions regarding this need to be verified.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus was not granted because there was no evidence linking the condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160514
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 19160514.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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