The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and service-connected right knee disability did not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to September 15, 2006. The Board found that his other service-connected conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder and lumbosacral strain, also did not render him unemployable.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right knee disability alone was deemed sufficient to prevent him from engaging in substantially gainful employment prior to September 15, 2006. The other service-connected conditions were considered insufficient on their own or combined with the right knee disability to preclude substantial gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right knee strain with degenerative joint disease, posttraumatic stress disorder with anxiety disorder, chronic lumbosacral strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2018
- Citation
- 1815195
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 1815195.
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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