The veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee, elbow, and thoracolumbar spine disabilities were denied. The initial ratings for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, malaria, and onychomycosis of the bilateral great toenails were also denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a relationship between the claimed conditions and the veteran's service, or that the conditions warranted higher ratings based on their severity.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral knee disability, Bilateral elbow disability, Thoracolumbar spine disability, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Bilateral hearing loss, Malaria, Onychomycosis of the bilateral great toenails
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2008
- Citation
- 0816555
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 claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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