The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including hearing loss and spine conditions, were denied as there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support the current diagnoses.,Service connection could not be established for any of the claimed disabilities due to a lack of credible evidence linking them to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's statements regarding his in-service events and conditions were found to be unreliable, leading to the conclusion that there was no nexus between his current diagnoses and service.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a left fifth finger injury, hearing loss, thoracolumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, right ankle disability, left shoulder disability, bilateral knee disabilities, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, mood disorder, and alcohol abuse), stomach/ esophagus disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2013
- Citation
- 1334312
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 1334312.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, it was determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, thus denying both claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
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