The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and increased evaluations were denied as there is no evidence of record prior to June 15, 2012 that would support an earlier effective date.,There was no increase in the severity of the Veteran's strain of the back between June 15, 2011, and June 15, 2012, warranting a higher evaluation under any applicable Diagnostic Code.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show an earlier effective date for service connection or increased evaluations due to lack of prior communications indicating intent to apply for benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Strain of the Back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2017
- Citation
- 1715292
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 1715292.
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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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