The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of hearing loss within the first post-service year or a nexus between the disability and service. For diabetes, the Board found that the Veteran did not require regulation of activities as part of his medical management, thus precluding a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The March 2017 VA audiological evaluation report against the possibility of direct service connection for bilateral hearing loss was highly probative evidence against the contention that the Veteran's current disability is related to service. For diabetes, there was no indication in the record that he required regulation of activities as part of his medical management.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, diabetes
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006068
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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