The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal of his claim for a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claim for service connection for a lumbar spine disability, right hip disability, and left knee disability is denied as there is no evidence showing that these conditions are related to active military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found the Veteran's current lumbar spine condition less likely than not incurred in or caused by his service due to lack of a nexus between the claimed injury during service and the current diagnosis. The right hip and left knee disabilities were not shown to be related to service, as there is no evidence of any complaints or treatment for these conditions during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, right hip disability, left knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2015
- Citation
- 1538702
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 1538702.
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: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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