The claim for service connection for a blood disorder is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted, with the effective date set to the date of the decision (November 8, 2019).,Service connection for unspecified depressive disorder is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding service connection for a blood disorder.,The July 1988 rating decision denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and was final. New evidence received since then relates to an unestablished fact necessary to decide the claim, thus reopening it.,The August 2015 VA examination results indicated that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset during service and worsened after discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- blood disorder, bilateral hearing loss, unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184881
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Granted
The Board granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's unspecified depressive disorder, finding that her symptoms more closely approximated those required for such a rating.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
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