The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and secondary service connection for a left ankle disability. The decision found that the veteran's current hearing loss was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and his left ankle disability is proximately due to or the result of service-connected disabilities of the right and left knees.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist opined that it was less than likely that the veteran's current bilateral hearing loss was solely the result of acoustic trauma during military service. The Board found that the veteran's left ankle disability is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right and left knee disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Ankle Disability (Arthritis)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 24, 2001
- Citation
- 0121460
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 0121460.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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