The Veteran's appeal is denied as her claims for service connection and increased ratings are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that she does not have a current hearing loss disability, and her lumbar spine disability has not met the criteria for higher ratings at any point during the period of her appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's audiometric testing did not demonstrate a hearing loss disability as defined by VA regulation, and there is no additional evidence showing she currently has such a condition. Her lumbar spine disability was rated based on its current manifestations, which have not met the criteria for higher ratings at any point during her appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Left Heel Spur, Right Heel Spur, Left Ankle LCL Sprain, Right Ankle LCL Sprain, Left Leg Peripheral Venous Insufficiency, Right Leg Peripheral Venous Insufficiency, Lumbar Spine Disability, Hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2018
- Citation
- 1806517
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 1806517.
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.
- Partly granted
The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for a higher level of special monthly compensation (SMC) as he does not meet the criteria for an increased rate based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, a low back disability, a left knee disability, and a left shoulder disability as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were incurred in or caused by the Veteran's military service.
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