The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, headaches, hypertension, and neuropathy of all extremities is granted. The claim for increased rating for tinnitus in excess of 10 percent is denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service in the Republic of Vietnam for hypertension and headaches due to PTSD. Bilateral hearing loss and neuropathy were found to be related to pre-existing conditions, while tinnitus was rated at the maximum permissible schedular rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Headaches, Hypertension, Neuropathy of all extremities, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 19, 2023
- Citation
- 23066898
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 23066898.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- 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.
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