The Board denied service connection for right and left shoulder disorders, generalized joint pain, an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for GERD, a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and evaluations in excess of 10 percent and 20 percent for the lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a nexus between any current shoulder or joint disorder and service, nor was there sufficient evidence to support an increased rating for PTSD, GERD, hearing loss, or lumbar spine disability based on the criteria provided by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, generalized joint pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0902408
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · Granted: 23% (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 0902408.
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.
- 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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