The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a rating in excess of 20 percent for low back disability are denied. The Board found that the veteran did not have a pre-existing left ear hearing loss disability, and his right ear hearing loss is not related to service. For the low back disability, there was no evidence of ankylosing spondylitis during service or in the first post-service year, and the current condition does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.

The deciding factor: The veteran's hearing loss is presumed to be due to noise exposure in service, but his right ear hearing loss did not manifest until after separation from service. For the low back disability, there was no evidence of ankylosing spondylitis during service or in the first post-service year, and the current condition does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 20 percent.

Claimed conditions

{"conditionName":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"conditionName":"Low Back Disability (presumed to be due to Ankylosing Spondylitis)"}

How they argued it

Not specified

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

September 19, 2006

Citation

0629748

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 0629748.