The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right knee disorder and bilateral hearing loss. The claim for right knee disorder is granted as new and material evidence was submitted, while the claim for bilateral hearing loss remains denied due to lack of in-service noise exposure and no causal relationship established.
The deciding factor: The September 2010 VA examination report provided an opinion that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is less likely than not related to noise exposure during service. The examiner reviewed all available evidence, including the Veteran's service treatment records, and concluded that his hearing loss was more likely due to post-service occupational and recreational noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1619911
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 1619911.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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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