The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been evaluated, and the appeal is denied as there are no new or material issues to reopen. The current evaluations for each condition remain unchanged.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were not supported by the evidence of record, which did not show that his conditions warranted higher disability ratings under applicable VA rating criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain with degenerative joint disease, Musculoligamentous sprain of the right shoulder, Allergic rhinitis with headaches, Fracture of the left ankle, Bilateral hearing loss, Squamous cell carcinoma of the right pharynx
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0915278
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 0915278.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and discectomy with lumbar discogenic pain but granted a 20% initial rating for left lower extremity radiculopathy from April 18, 2023 through January 16, 2024. The service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss but granted for left knee Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD).
- 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.
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