The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of heat stroke, hypertension, epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, lower extremity edema (including spider veins), headaches, and neurological effects have all been denied.,There is no evidence to support the Veteran's assertions that his current conditions are related to his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not find any hearing loss for VA purposes in either ear. The examiner noted that the Veteran does not have a permanent positive threshold shift and his speech recognition scores were within normal limits.,The VA examination found no evidence of residuals of heat stroke, as the examiner concluded that each of the Veteran's heat strokes were spaced apart and likely not at all related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, residuals of heat stroke, hypertension, epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, lower extremity edema (including spider veins), headaches, neurological effects (including memory loss and vertigo)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2021
- Citation
- 21028412
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 21028412.
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
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.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.