The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, a back condition, left knee osteoarthritis, and right knee osteoarthritis have all been denied. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been granted a 70% rating from August 31, 2018 to February 10, 2020.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that the claimed conditions began during service or are otherwise related to service, including herbicide agent exposure. The disabilities were not shown as chronic in service and did not manifest within a presumptive period.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus, Prostate Cancer, Back Condition (including as secondary to a knee condition), Left Knee Osteoarthritis (including as secondary to a back condition), Right Knee Osteoarthritis (including as secondary to a back condition)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 14, 2024
- Citation
- 24012091
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 24012091.
What this means for you
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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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