The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the wrists, elbows, and knees, and hemorrhoids have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or in-service events that could be related to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability for VA compensation purposes. Audiometric testing did not show any thresholds exceeding 26 decibels at any frequency, and his speech recognition scores were above 94 percent in both ears. For other conditions, there is no current diagnosis or evidence of an event, injury, or disease related to these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Arthritis of the Wrist (bilateral), Arthritis of the Elbow (bilateral), Arthritis of the Knee (bilateral), Hemorrhoids
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1612926
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 1612926.
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 withdrew his appeal for an increased evaluation of his hemorrhoids, so the case is dismissed.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for her service-connected hemorrhoids was denied as the evidence did not show large or thrombotic, irreducible hemorrhoids with excessive redundant tissue, evidencing frequent recurrence.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity, status post carpal tunnel release is granted an initial rating of 60 percent. Service connection for right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome is also granted.
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