The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an asbestos-related pleural disease and entitlement to TDIU due to his bilateral hearing loss. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that any current asbestos-related pleural disease was related to service, while the VA medical opinions supported this conclusion. For TDIU, the Board found that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss alone did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any current asbestos-related pleural disease is related to service exposure or civilian exposure. The VA medical opinions supported this conclusion, while the Veteran's own opinion was found to be less persuasive due to its reliance on an erroneous depiction of the evidence and failure to consider his extensive civilian exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Asbestos-related pleural disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 19, 2020
- Citation
- 20067583
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
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