Service connection is denied for traumatic arthritis of the right knee and a left knee injury. Service connection is granted for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine and bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's current depressed skull fracture, claimed as residuals from an in-service head injury, is not service connected.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be established for traumatic arthritis of the right knee or a left knee injury due to lack of evidence of a chronic condition during service and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology. Service connection was granted for degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine as it is related to his post-service occupation as a coal miner.,Service connection cannot be established for a depressed skull fracture, claimed as residuals from an in-service head injury, due to lack of evidence of a chronic condition during service and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- Traumatic arthritis of the right knee, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine, Bilateral hearing loss, Depressed skull fracture, residuals
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1017632
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 1017632.
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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