The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected, with the presumption that it was aggravated by noise exposure during active military service.,Service connection for analgesic nephropathy with residual kidney pain secondary to a service-connected lumbosacral strain is granted. The evidence does not support aggravation of the pre-existing condition in service.,The Veteran's cervical spine disorder is denied as there was no onset or aggravation during active military service.
The deciding factor: The December 2011 VA examiner found that the Veteran’s right ear hearing loss did not worsen beyond normal progression due to noise exposure in service, and his left ear hearing loss improved upon separation from service. The Veteran's lay statements supporting combat-related noise exposure are considered consistent with the circumstances of his Vietnam service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, analgesic nephropathy with residual kidney pain, cervical spine disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20076112
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 20076112.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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