The Board found that the veteran's left ear hearing loss did not undergo an increase in severity during service and denied his claim for service connection. For his low back disorder, there was no competent evidence showing a disease or injury incurred in service, leading to denial of service connection.
The deciding factor: There is no clear and unmistakable evidence that the veteran's pre-existing left ear hearing loss worsened during service, and there is insufficient medical evidence linking his current low back disorder to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ear Hearing Loss, Low Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 16, 2000
- Citation
- 0016103
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 0016103.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to an unclear employment history and a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected asthma and direct service connection for asthma. The claim for left ear hearing loss was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a compensable rating of left ear hearing loss to obtain missing VA audiometric data.
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