The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left lower extremity neuropathy, left upper extremity neuropathy, right lower extremity neuropathy, and right upper extremity neuropathy have been denied as the evidence does not support a causal link to active service or service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence weighs against finding that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss began during active service or is otherwise causally related to hazardous noise exposure therein.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Lower Extremity Neuropathy (previously denied as polyneuropathy), Left Upper Extremity Neuropathy (previously denied as polyneuropathy), Right Lower Extremity Neuropathy (previously denied as polyneuropathy), Right Upper Extremity Neuropathy (previously denied as polyneuropathy)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2020
- Citation
- A20018324
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 A20018324.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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