The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a left leg fracture. The Veteran's skin condition (acrochordon) was not addressed as it is presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.,Service connection was denied because the evidence did not support that any of these conditions began during or were otherwise related to service.
The deciding factor: The medical opinions provided by VA examiners found no evidence linking the Veteran's current disabilities to his military service, including noise exposure and herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Left Leg Fracture, Skin Condition (acrochordon)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2021
- Citation
- 21061582
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 21061582.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
- 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 Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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