The Veteran's right knee disability is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss has not been established. The Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability for VA purposes.,Service connection for tinnitus has not been established. The Veteran's tinnitus is more likely due to post-service noise exposure rather than in-service acoustic trauma.
The deciding factor: The May 2010 VA examination did not show flexion limited to 30 degrees, which would meet the requirement for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 5260. There was no instability when formally examined.,The Veteran's hearing loss is not shown during the pendency of this appeal and his Maryland CNC Test score was 96 percent in both ears, indicating normal hearing.,The VA examiner provided a well-supported opinion that the tinnitus was more likely related to post-service occupational noise exposure rather than in-service acoustic trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Knee Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2018
- Citation
- 1801307
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 1801307.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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