The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability, and his claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine are denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or chronic condition. The examiner found no link between any current conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The March 2010 VA examination did not find a diagnosis of a current bilateral hearing loss disability, and the examiner determined that the Veteran's mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine was not caused by or related to his treatment for a lumbar strain in service. The examiner also found no link between any current knee disorder and service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine (low back disorder), bilateral knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 31, 2017
- Citation
- 1710210
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 1710210.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disability, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disorder, gout, multiple painful joints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his active service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to errors in providing notice of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
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