The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the current disabilities and his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a direct link between the Veteran's in-service noise exposure and his current hearing loss disability. The Veteran did not have sensorineural hearing loss within one year after discharge from service, which would allow for presumptive service connection under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine, Bilateral hearing loss, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left hip, Residuals of a meniscectomy of the right knee, Lower back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 1, 2013
- Citation
- 1314376
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 1314376.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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