The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the condition was incurred or aggravated during active duty. The claim is being remanded for further clarification on whether the Veteran currently has a disability for VA purposes.,For the acquired psychiatric disability, the Board found that presumptive service connection cannot be granted based on Camp Lejeune exposure as it does not fall under the list of covered illnesses in 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(f). The claim is being remanded to consider whether direct service connection can be established.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss was not shown during service and there is no evidence of a significant threshold shift from induction to separation, which is considered objective evidence of no permanent auditory damage on active duty. The examiner concluded that the current bilateral hearing loss is less likely as not related to military noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Acquired Psychiatric Disability (likely PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2023
- Citation
- 23058032
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 23058032.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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