The Board found that the Veteran's current lumbosacral disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus in the right ear are not related to service. The Board also determined that spina bifida is a congenital defect and therefore not service-connected.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current back condition was unrelated to his service injury due to lack of continuity of symptoms post-service, while other opinions were based on inaccurate factual premises or relied solely on the Veteran's statements without corroboration from medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus in the right ear, spina bifida
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1501574
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1501574.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for lumbosacral and right knee disabilities due to a failure to obtain adequate secondary service connection opinions regarding these claims. The new opinions must address both causation and aggravation, considering the Veteran's theory that his current conditions are related to his service-connected right ankle disability.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his active service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to errors in providing notice of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
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