The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service connected and a compensable rating is denied.,Service connection for the back disorder was previously denied due to lack of evidence linking it to active duty service. The claim has been reopened but new evidence does not establish a relationship with service, thus denial remains.,Service connection for the skin disorder (claimed as rash) and spot on the liver have not been established based on exposure to toxic herbicide agents or any other theory of service connection.,Acid reflux is not service connected and no further theories of service connection are applicable.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable disability rating as his pure-tone thresholds do not warrant such a rating based on VA standards.,New evidence did not establish a relationship between the Veteran’s current back disorder and active duty service, thus denying the claim of reopening.,There is no evidence linking the skin disorder (claimed as rash) or spot on the liver to exposure to toxic herbicide agents or any other theory of service connection.,Acid reflux was not shown in service or for many years thereafter and is not otherwise etiologically related to active duty service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, back disorder, skin disorder (claimed as rash), spot on the liver, acid reflux
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20008112
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20008112.
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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 case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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