The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sciatica, left hip and left leg as well as his claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The decision found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, and that the Veteran's current hearing loss does not warrant a compensable rating.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the submitted evidence was not new and material to reopen the service connection claim for sciatica, left hip and left leg. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating as his pure tone thresholds were within normal limits or less than 50 decibels in all frequencies tested.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatica, left hip, left leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 4, 2010
- Citation
- 1016443
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1016443.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective April 8, 2020. The Board found that VA failed to properly notify the Veteran of his intent to file a claim and thus the earlier date is valid.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for left ankle, right ankle, right hand, and left hand conditions are denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left wrist condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right wrist condition is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to a duty to assist error regarding her service-connected depression. She needs an examination to assess the impact of her depression on her ability to work.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity disabilities, including sciatica, are granted on a secondary basis to his service-connected back disability. The Board found that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has been unable to secure or follow gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
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