The Veteran's claim for service connection for bladder cancer is granted, as supported by a July 2019 opinion linking the condition to his military service. Service connection is also granted for neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities secondary to bladder cancer treatment. The appeal related to increased ratings for PTSD, sleep apnea, CAD scars, and diabetes mellitus remains pending.
The deciding factor: A July 2019 opinion supported by medical literature concluded that the Veteran's bladder cancer was at least as likely as not caused by his military service exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange. The neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities is considered secondary to the Veteran's bladder cancer treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bladder Cancer, Neuropathy of Bilateral Upper and Lower Extremities, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Scars
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176133
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,934 · Granted: 41% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19176133.
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.
- 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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