The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, chronic venous hypertension/insufficiency, and peripheral vascular disease are all granted. The decision also includes a remand for further evaluation of heart arrhythmia, respiratory disorder, hypertension, and bilateral foot disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to be the proximate cause of his related conditions such as peripheral neuropathy, chronic venous hypertension/insufficiency, peripheral vascular disease, lipodermatosclerosis, and congestive heart failure.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity, chronic venous hypertension/insufficiency, left lower extremity, chronic venous hypertension/insufficiency, right lower extremity, peripheral vascular disease, left lower extremity, peripheral vascular disease, right lower extremity, lipodermatosclerosis of the bilateral lower extremities, congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2022
- Citation
- 22002123
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 22002123.
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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