The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left and right foot disabilities (claimed as frostbite residuals), cholelithiasis (gallstones), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have all been denied. The Board found no current disability in any of these conditions.,The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a service connection for any of the claimed disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied because there was no current diagnosis or evidence linking his reported symptoms to service, and the Board found that the Veteran's statements regarding in-service cold weather exposure were not credible.,For GERD, the Board noted that the Veteran had been treated for acid reflux during service and that a VA physician opined that his gallstones may have been related to acid reflux. However, there was no current evidence of GERD.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Cholelithiasis (Gallstones), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Left Foot Disability (Frostbite Residuals), Right Foot Disability (Frostbite Residuals)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19190358
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19190358.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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