The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and knee disorders, as well as his claim for an initial compensable rating prior to January 3, 2014, and higher than 10 percent thereafter for headaches were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities or a relationship between the claimed conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing tests showed some loss but not to the extent considered disabling for VA purposes. His knee disorders were attributed to age-related degenerative changes, with no specific incident related to service identified. The headaches were found to be very frequent but did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bilateral Knee Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2014
- Citation
- 1450951
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 1450951.
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.
- 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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