The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, right knee degenerative joint disease, right eye glaucoma, and hearing loss in both ears. The Veteran's claims were not supported by evidence of a nexus to service.,There is no credible evidence linking the current disabilities to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no documented injury or illness involving the right shoulder during service, and the Veteran did not report any such issues until many years after discharge. The medical records do not support a finding of an in-service disease or injury related to the current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Right Knee Degenerative Joint Disease, Right Eye Disability (Glaucoma), Right Ear Hearing Loss Disability, Left Ear Hearing Loss Disability, Tinnitus, Chronic Headaches, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (PTSD, Mood Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Cocaine Dependence, Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol Dependence, Bipolar Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2018
- Citation
- 18155571
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 18155571.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The claims for service connection for right and left shoulder disabilities are remanded. The claim for sleep disorder (claimed as sleep apnea) remains denied.
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