The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a low back disability. The claim to reopen the low back disability was also denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The ratings for his right knee, left knee arthrotomy, and degenerative joint disease of the left knee were confirmed and continued at 10 percent each. His rating for residuals of a right wrist injury remains at zero percent.
The deciding factor: The Board found that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for a low back disability, as the provided medical records did not establish a direct relationship between the veteran's current low back disability and his service-connected knee disabilities. The other claims were denied based on lack of evidence supporting the requested benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2004
- Citation
- 0400503
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,776 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0400503.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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