The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no medical evidence establishing a nexus between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: There was no medical opinion linking the current disabilities to in-service noise exposure or any other basis of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- low_back_disorder, bilateral_hearing_loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 14, 2017
- Citation
- 1721684
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 1721684.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, left thumb disability, heart condition, hypertension, right and left knee disabilities, peripheral neuropathies in the upper and lower extremities, migraine headaches, and psychiatric disorder. The decision found that there was no evidence of continuity of symptoms or a nexus to service.
- Denied
The Board has denied the claims for service connection for a low back disorder, bilateral shoulder disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as there is no evidence of a current disability that was incurred or aggravated by service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a low back disorder and remanded other issues including asthma, GERD, migraine headaches, and insomnia. The Veteran needs to be scheduled for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a low back disorder. The case is now remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions and updating treatment records.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.