The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension based on new evidence and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) finding of sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to Agent Orange and hypertension.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in approximate balance or greater that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension are etiologically related to his active-duty service, including exposure to hazardous noise and herbicide agents during his Vietnam tour.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25023562
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 the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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