The Board has granted the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his bilateral hearing loss disorder and psychogenic pain disorder, but denied service connection for low back injury residuals and head injury residuals. The low back disability is considered part of an already service-connected condition (psychogenic pain disorder), while the head injury claim lacks sufficient evidence to establish a direct or secondary relationship with service.
The deciding factor: The veteran's low back symptoms are found to be related to his pre-existing psychogenic pain disorder, and thus not separately service connected. The head injury claim is also denied as there is insufficient evidence linking it to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disorder, psychogenic pain disorder, low back injury (residuals), head injury
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- June 16, 2000
- Citation
- 0016058
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 0016058.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Granted
Service connection for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is granted as secondary to the service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II. Other conditions are denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error in obtaining missing service treatment records. The AOJ is instructed to attempt to obtain these records and conduct any necessary development, including VA examinations.
- Denied
The Veteran's head injuries and post-traumatic headaches following an October 2023 VA shuttle bus incident are not compensable under 38 U.S.C. §1151 because the injuries occurred before any treatment or examination by VA.
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