01 / Occupational profile
Your 2514 occupational profile
Generator and shelter noise
Common occupational factor
Switch shelters and vans are typically powered by nearby tactical generators that run continuously during field operations, exposing occupants to sustained engine noise.
Cable handling and shelter setup
Common occupational factor
Running and recovering cable reels, carrying switch components, and setting up or breaking down shelters load the back, shoulders, and knees, often on uneven field terrain.
Generator exhaust and fuel contact
Common occupational factor
Working adjacent to running generators for extended shifts involves routine exhaust exposure, and refueling generators involves fuel contact.
02 / Your service
What did you actually do?
Your MOS is the starting point. Your actual assignment, era, equipment, location, and duties determine which parts of the occupational history are relevant. Use the Evidence Builder below to select your actual duties and see records that may corroborate them.
2514s install, interconnect, and operate the Central Office switch and its associated cabling, patch panels, and crypto equipment, then perform organizational-level maintenance to keep it running. Work includes running and connecting trunk and local cables between the switch shelter and outlying positions, loading and updating crypto keys and databases, troubleshooting circuit faults, and operating the switchboard for technical control of the voice/data network. The shelter or van is typically powered by a tactical generator positioned nearby, so noise and exhaust are part of the routine environment, and cable-laying and shelter setup/teardown involve carrying reels, cases, and tools across uneven terrain.
The 2514 designator covers Marines who operated and maintained the Central Office, AN/TTC-42, and successor unit-level switching gear. Equipment generations changed across eras; the unit, gear, and period matter more than the code alone.
Duties that may vary by assignment
- Installing and interconnecting the Central Office (AN/TTC-42) switch and associated cabling
- Loading, updating, and safeguarding crypto keys and switch databases
- Running and recovering trunk and local telephone/data cable
- Operating the switchboard for technical control of the voice/data network
- Troubleshooting and repairing circuit and equipment faults
- Setting up and tearing down communications shelters and vans in the field
- Working near tactical generators that power the shelter
Related historical codes: Legacy field wire/switchboard duties where combined with 2514 billets
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Military Occupational Evidence Builder
Based on what you actually did in the military, what records might document it? Select only what applied to you. No name, file number, contact details, free text, or upload. Nothing is saved or sent.
Military service
Marine Corps · 2514 Unit Level Circuit Switch (ULCS) Operator/Maintainer
For another specialty, open its guide from the MOS library. A job code alone does not establish individual duties or exposure.
Era(s) of service
Deployments
Already have a VA decision?
Your Evidence Builder identifies records that may document your service history. If VA has already decided your claim, the next question is different: what did VA accept, what did VA reject, and why?
Request a free decision review03 / Corroboration
Building your occupational history
Records matter because they can connect a job title to an individual's actual work and circumstances.
Generator and shelter noise
Records that may corroborate it
- · Hearing-conservation audiograms (DD 2215/2216) and DOEHRS-HC records
- · Assignment records placing you with a communications platoon or company
- · Evaluations describing generator or shelter duties
Limit: Typical generator proximity does not establish a current hearing loss or tinnitus diagnosis under 38 CFR § 3.385. A current diagnosis and a medical opinion are still required.
Cable handling and shelter setup
Records that may corroborate it
- · Sick call entries during field exercises or deployments
- · Line-of-duty or incident reports for a documented injury
- · Evaluations describing cable-laying or shelter-setup duties
Limit: Typical setup and cable-handling demands do not by themselves establish that a specific joint was injured in service.
Generator exhaust and fuel contact
Records that may corroborate it
- · Assignment records and unit location logs
- · Evaluations describing generator-adjacent duties
- · ILER entry reflecting deployment location, where applicable
Limit: Generator proximity does not establish contact with any specific substance or a resulting diagnosis; current clinical findings and a medical link are still required.
04 / Evidence standard
What your MOS can — and cannot — establish
May help document
Work performed, circumstances of service, consistency of an alleged exposure, and the nature or duration of duties where supported by individual records.
Does not automatically establish
A diagnosis, medical causation, severity, percentage, presumption, or entitlement to service connection.
05 / Medical evidence
Conditions that may be relevant to the occupational history
This is not a list of conditions to claim. A veteran's actual diagnosis and individual service record determine relevance; occupational evidence is not medical causation.
Auditory +
Hearing loss and tinnitus
Why the occupation may matter: Sustained generator and shelter noise is a routine part of ULCS operations.
Records and clinical evidence: Audiometric records showing a threshold shift, a current hearing-loss or tinnitus diagnosis, and evidence tying the exposure to your specific assignment.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
Musculoskeletal +
Back, shoulder, or knee conditions
Why the occupation may matter: Cable handling and shelter setup/teardown involve repeated lifting and carrying on uneven ground.
Records and clinical evidence: Sick call or physical therapy entries from the relevant period, imaging, and a current orthopedic diagnosis.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
Respiratory +
Respiratory conditions from exhaust exposure
Why the occupation may matter: Working near continuously running generators is a routine part of the duty.
Records and clinical evidence: Current pulmonary diagnosis, deployment or assignment records placing you near generator operations, and a medical opinion addressing the exposure.
Occupational history alone does not establish this diagnosis or its medical relationship to service.
06 / Exposure record
ILER and toxic exposure
For applicable exposure-related claims, VA may review the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record (ILER) and a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA) memorandum along with deployment and occupational records. An ILER entry does not automatically establish exposure or service connection.
07 / After a decision
Why a 2514 claim may still be denied
An exposure finding is not the same as a grant. These are examples from the researched guide, not predictions about a particular case.
VA may accept
A duty or event consistent with the service record
But may deny
A diagnosis, medical relationship, or rating element
Record to examine
Decision findings, service and private treatment records, examination rationale, and medical opinions.
"2514" alone does not show hearing-hazardous duty
VA raters look for audiograms and assignment records showing actual time around the switch shelter and generator, not just the MOS title.
No baseline audiogram to compare against
Without an entrance audiogram, it can be harder to show a threshold shift occurred during service rather than existing beforehand.
Oakridge Claims / Appeals Focused
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The important question is what VA accepted, what it rejected, and why. A decision review considers the decision, examinations, and the complete record — including private and VA records that may need development. Oakridge is appeals-focused — core work is post-decision, but initial and new claims are accepted on a case-by-case basis (no fee for pre-decision work).
Fees for eligible post-decision representation are governed by a written agreement. See fee details. No outcome is guaranteed.
2514 questions
Does the 2514 MOS prove I was exposed to hazardous noise?
It documents a job that typically involves generator-adjacent work, but VA still looks at your specific assignments, any hearing-conservation records, and a current diagnosis with a medical opinion.
What if my unit records don't mention the generator or shelter directly?
Training records, after-action reports, or statements from fellow Marines in your section can help fill gaps where day-to-day logs weren't kept.
Sources and legal references
General education only; not legal or medical advice. Oakridge Claims is a private business, not affiliated with or endorsed by VA. Nothing here establishes a representative-client relationship or guarantees a result. Free accredited VSO help is available.