The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria.,Service connection for chronic laryngitis is granted due to in-service exposure and ongoing symptoms. Service connection for chronic sinusitis and chronic pharyngitis are denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing test results do not meet the criteria for a current disability as defined by VA regulations, thus no service connection can be established.,Service connection is granted for chronic laryngitis due to in-service exposure and ongoing symptoms. Service connection for chronic sinusitis and chronic pharyngitis are denied because there is no persuasive evidence of these conditions during or approximate to the pendency of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chronic Laryngitis, Chronic Sinusitis and Chronic Pharyngitis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26013965
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 A26013965.
What this means for you
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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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