The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no current disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disorder was denied as he did not sustain an injury or disease in service and does not currently have a chronic residual disability of the right knee.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for atrial fibrillation, secondary to PTSD, was denied as there is no evidence that it is related to his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's initial disability evaluation for left headaches prior to March 31, 2011, was granted at a 30% rating. However, the claim for an increased rating from March 31, 2011, has not been met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss disability is not shown to be present in service or due to any incident of service.,There is no evidence of a right knee injury or disease during service and the Veteran does not currently have a chronic residual disability of the right knee.,Atrial fibrillation, secondary to PTSD, was not incurred in service as there is no direct link between the condition and service-connected PTSD.,The initial 30% rating for left headaches prior to March 31, 2011, was granted based on characteristic prostrating attacks. However, the Veteran's headaches have not caused severe economic inadaptability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Right Knee Disorder, Atrial Fibrillation (secondary to PTSD), Left Headaches
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 24, 2013
- Citation
- 1323581
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 1323581.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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