The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or within one year after his military service.,His hypertension was not service-connected because there is no evidence of onset during service and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that it is secondary to his service-connected heart disease.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have hearing loss at separation from service, nor did he develop any hearing impairment within one year after discharge. The VA examiner found no connection between current bilateral hearing loss and events in service.,There was no evidence of hypertension during service or within a year following his separation. The VA physician's opinion stated that the Veteran’s CAD is not likely to have caused his hypertension.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Hypertension, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Right Upper Extremity, Peripheral Neuropathy of the Left Upper Extremity, Residuals of Left Great Toe Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20040621
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 20040621.
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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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- 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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
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