The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right and left wrist conditions, bilateral foot conditions, and back disability due to a lack of current disabilities as defined by VA regulations. The claim was not remanded or reopened.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show current disabilities that would meet the criteria for service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385 (for hearing loss) and VA treatment records were silent for any wrist or foot conditions during or in proximity to the appeal period.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right foot disability, left foot disability, back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18154396
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 18154396.
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.
- 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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