The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension is dismissed as the March 2025 rating decision granted it.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been established, with the disability rated by VA standards and not by audiometric results alone.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD) was denied. The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for NASH is also pending.,The Veteran's non-compensable disability rating for NASH remains unchanged.
The deciding factor: The March 2025 rating decision granted service connection for hypertension, which led to the dismissal of this issue as it was no longer in dispute.,Bilateral hearing loss is considered a current disability based on VA standards and not solely by audiometric results. The Veteran's tinnitus claim supports his contention that he experienced noise exposure during service.,The evidence does not support a finding of an acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD) at any time over the course of the appeal period, as there is no medical record indicating such a diagnosis.,The non-compensable disability rating for NASH remains unchanged because there was insufficient evidence to warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26011283
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 A26011283.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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