The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of dental surgery (dental disorder), and psychiatric disorder were denied as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that there was no direct evidence linking the claimed disabilities to service, with the exception of the bilateral hearing loss which was found to be related to service based on audiometric testing results. The dental disorder claim was denied as the Veteran underwent multiple extractions and denture construction in-service without a clear indication of trauma or injury. The psychiatric disorder claim was denied due to lack of credible evidence establishing an etiological relationship with service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, residuals of dental surgery (dental disorder), psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007475
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
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- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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