The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, left hand and ring finger disorder, heart murmur, bilateral knee disorder, bronchitis, and low back disorder are all denied as they do not meet the criteria for service connection under the applicable laws and regulations.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service. The Veteran's hearing loss is rated based on pure tone thresholds and speech recognition ability, which are within normal limits. For his left hand and ring finger disorder, there was no abnormality noted at separation and the current condition is unrelated to service. His heart murmur is not related to service as it is congenital in nature. The bilateral knee disorders do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under VA regulations. Bronchitis is not shown to be due to active service, with the Veteran's current diagnosis being attributed to smoking rather than his military service. Lastly, low back disorder does not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Hand and Ring Finger Disorder, Heart Murmur, Bilateral Knee Disorder, Bronchitis, Low Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1624108
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 1624108.
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: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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