The Board found that the Veteran's hearing loss and right knee arthritis are not related to his military service, as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease. The current disabilities were determined to be due to post-service occupational noise exposure for hearing loss and a history of significant occupational noise exposure after service for right knee arthritis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's testimony regarding the onset of his hearing loss and right knee disability was not credible, as it did not align with the available evidence. The VA examiner concluded that the current disabilities were more likely related to post-service occupational exposures rather than military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing Loss, Right Knee Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 13, 2012
- Citation
- 1231612
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 1231612.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating prior to August 12, 2013 was denied as his right knee disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5003.,The Veteran's claim for a higher rating from April 1, 2016 was denied as he is already receiving the maximum allowable disability rating of 60 percent for total right knee replacement.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral hearing disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability at any time during or recent to the filing of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, asthma, and foot conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history throughout the appeal period.
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