The appeal seeking service connection for a left shoulder disability is dismissed.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.,The Veteran's bilateral knee degenerative joint disease, diabetes mellitus, left lower extremity neuropathy, and right lower extremity neuropathy are remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking service connection for a left shoulder disability in March 2017.,No evidence of hearing loss or tinnitus was found during the examination process.,Service connection cannot be established as there is no evidence of continuity of symptomatology and no medical opinion linking current bilateral knee degenerative joint disease, diabetes mellitus, lower extremity neuropathies to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Shoulder Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Bilateral Knee Degenerative Joint Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Left Lower Extremity Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 28, 2018
- Citation
- 18129752
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 18129752.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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 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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