The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, back disability, residuals of right shoulder injury, and residuals of left shoulder injury are not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the current conditions to service, including a lack of in-service complaints or findings regarding hearing issues. The VA examinations have all concluded that the Veteran's current hearing loss is more likely due to post-service noise exposure and occupational factors rather than service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Back Disability, Residuals of Right Shoulder Injury, Residuals of Left Shoulder Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2010
- Citation
- 1005078
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 1005078.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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