The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's previously denied claim of service connection for hypertension has been reopened, but the issue remains remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether his hypertension was caused or aggravated by diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's eye disability and erectile dysfunction claims are both remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the hypertension claim.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss under VA regulations.,There is insufficient evidence to determine whether the Veteran's hypertension was caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and further examination is needed.,The eye disability and erectile dysfunction claims are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the hypertension claim.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction cannot be determined without additional information regarding its relationship to the Veteran’s service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, eye disability, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20002198
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (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 20002198.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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