The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of current hearing loss disability in either ear, thus denying the claim for bilateral hearing loss. For PTSD, the Board noted that symptoms prior to January 16, 2014 did not meet criteria for a higher rating, but from that date forward they only met criteria for a reduced reliability and productivity impairment. The Veteran's lumbosacral strain was found to have been productive of mild right lower extremity radiculopathy at times, but no more than moderately severe left lower extremity radiculopathy since January 29, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulations. His PTSD symptoms were found to be less disabling from January 16, 2014 onwards. The lumbosacral strain was productive of mild right lower extremity radiculopathy at times but no more than moderately severe left lower extremity radiculopathy since January 29, 2014.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2015
- Citation
- 1504402
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 1504402.
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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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