The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for otitis externa, multiple joint pains of the left and right knees, left ankle, and right hip. The claim for an initial compensable rating for varicocele of the left testicle was dismissed due to lack of a timely substantive appeal.
The deciding factor: The Board found no evidence linking any current disabilities to service, including otitis externa and multiple joint pains. The claim for an initial compensable rating for varicocele of the left testicle was not pursued within one year from notification of the denial or within 60 days from issuance of a Statement of the Case.
- Claimed conditions
- otitis externa, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with narrowing of the disc space at L5-S1, multiple joint pains of the left and right knees, left ankle, and right hip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2006
- Citation
- 0640274
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,012 · 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 0640274.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and entitlement to a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The Board found that there was no evidence of in-service onset or association with service, and concluded that the Veteran's current sleep apnea is not related to his PTSD. For the TDIU claim, the Board determined that the Veteran's service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing and maintaining gainful employment.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for various disability ratings have been dismissed due to his death. The right eye dyscoria and PTSD issues were pursued under both the Legacy Appeal system and the AMA simultaneously, but these issues are now included in the dismissal.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for service connection of left ear hearing loss and OSA, but denied for hepatic steatosis. Several claims were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date for tinnitus but denied increased ratings and service connection for other conditions.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.