The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show a direct causal relationship between his in-service injury and current arthritis or degenerative disc disease.,For hearing loss, the Veteran received a compensable rating of 10 percent from July 21, 2010 to June 5, 2012. The Board found that the evidence did not show puretone threshold and speech recognition test results warranting a higher rating during this period.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show puretone threshold and speech recognition test results warranting such a rating from June 5, 2012 forward.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 5, 2012 for the grant of 10 percent disability for hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show continuity of symptomatology or a nexus to service.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be established as there is no direct causal relationship between the Veteran's in-service injury and current arthritis or degenerative disc disease.,The Veteran received a compensable rating for hearing loss from July 21, 2010 to June 5, 2012 based on his puretone threshold and speech recognition test results. However, these results did not warrant a higher rating during this period.,For the period from June 5, 2012 forward, the Veteran's hearing loss disability met the criteria for a 10 percent rating based on his puretone threshold and speech recognition test results. However, there is no evidence of additional hearing impairment warranting an increased rating.,The Veteran did not provide any evidence showing continuity of symptomatology or a nexus to service prior to June 5, 2012 for the grant of a 10 percent disability for his hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disability, Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 21, 2015
- Citation
- 1517028
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 1517028.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Mays & Schnapp Pain Management and schedule the Veteran for additional medical examinations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including diagnosed degenerative arthritis with DDD other than intervertebral disc syndrome and spinal stenosis status post L3, L4, and L5 laminectomy. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury and his ongoing symptoms since then.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral hearing disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability at any time during or recent to the filing of his claim.
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