The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative arthritis of the spine is denied as there is no evidence that it is related to his military service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated at level I in the right ear and level IV in the left ear, which does not meet the criteria for an increased rating. The current evaluation adequately reflects the severity of the Veteran's condition.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the spine is less likely than not caused by his service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated based on its level of severity, and there is no evidence to support an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative arthritis of the spine, hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2014
- Citation
- 1433028
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 1433028.
What this means for you
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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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's high cholesterol, dementia, stroke, prostate cancer, cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, CHF, and myocardial infarction claims are denied due to lack of service connection evidence or insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.,The Veteran was exposed to toxins during his military service but there is no evidence linking these exposures to any of the claimed conditions.
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