The Veteran's bilateral knee and foot disabilities are not service-connected as they did not manifest during or within one year of his military service. The current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for a chronic disability.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service, nor is there evidence to support a presumption of service connection.
The deciding factor: Service records are silent regarding any complaints or treatment for knee and foot disabilities. The March 2017 VA examination found no nexus between the current diagnoses and service.,The Veteran's hearing loss was not shown during service, nor is there evidence of a significant threshold increase in hearing ability. His tinnitus has been present since at least 1970.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Knee Disability, Bilateral Foot Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2017
- Citation
- 1743979
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 1743979.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
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