The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for low back disorder was denied as new and material evidence had not been received to reopen it. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the Board found no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be linked to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not have a hearing disability within one year post-service discharge, precluding service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.309(a). The Board also noted insufficient medical evidence linking the current hearing loss and tinnitus to active service.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2008
- Citation
- 0821728
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 0821728.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
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