The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral defective hearing, tinnitus, diffuse cortical atrophy, and bursitis of the left shoulder as these conditions are not shown to have been present in or aggravated by active military service.
The deciding factor: Service medical records were negative for any history, complaints, or abnormal findings indicative of the presence of the claimed disabilities. The Board found no reasonable association between the veteran's current hearing loss, cortical atrophy, bursitis of the left shoulder, and tinnitus with his period of active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral defective hearing, tinnitus, diffuse cortical atrophy, bursitis of the left shoulder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2003
- Citation
- 0300085
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 0300085.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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