The Veteran does not have a diagnosed thoracolumbar spine, right shoulder, right elbow, bilateral ankle, or right knee disability that was incurred in service. The Veteran's hearing loss is also not considered to be related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing the Veteran had any chronic disabilities of the thoracolumbar spine, right shoulder, right elbow, bilateral ankles, or right knee during service and there are no diagnoses for these conditions in the service treatment records. The hearing loss was first diagnosed after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thoracolumbar Spine Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, Right Elbow Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability, Right Knee Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0917565
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 0917565.
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 Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there is no evidence to support an etiological relationship between his current condition and his military service.
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