The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of acoustic trauma during service and the VA examiner found it less likely than not related to service.,Service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension are denied due to lack of in-service onset or relationship to service, with post-service diagnoses beginning many years after separation from service.,The Veteran's asthma is currently rated at 30 percent under Diagnostic Code 6602. The VA examiner found no evidence of more than one attack per week with episodes of respiratory failure, monthly visits for care of exacerbations, or daily use of systemic corticosteroids or immunosuppressive medications.,The Veteran's asthma is not rated higher as the current rating already reflects his need for daily inhalation therapy and anti-inflammatory medication.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no evidence of acoustic trauma during service, and concluded that the right ear hearing loss was less likely than not related to service.,There were no in-service diagnoses or symptoms of diabetes mellitus or hypertension. The post-service onset of these conditions is noted, with no medical opinion linking them to service.,The VA examiner found no evidence of more severe asthma requiring higher ratings based on the frequency and severity of exacerbations.,The current rating already reflects the Veteran's need for daily inhalation therapy and anti-inflammatory medication.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- April 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20024194
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 20024194.
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