The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disability, to include degenerative disc disease. The Veteran's current back condition was not incurred in or caused by his military service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and respiratory disability (asthma) were also denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence does not show that the Veteran’s lumbar spine disability, to include degenerative disc disease, was incurred in or caused by his military service. The first diagnosis of degenerative disc disease occurred over a decade after separation from service.,There is no evidence of hearing loss during service and the current audiometric findings do not meet VA's criteria for a hearing loss disability.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, respiratory disability, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 31, 2018
- Citation
- 18122612
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 18122612.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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