The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his cervical and lumbar spine conditions, as well as service connection for neurological damage to the arms and legs, bilateral hip disability, bilateral ankle disability, and osteoarthritis of the knees are denied.,The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral shoulder disability or bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were denied as there is no legal basis upon which to award higher ratings for his service-connected conditions, and he did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence of current disabilities.,There was insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran had a current diagnosis of bilateral shoulder disability or bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Tinnitus, Lumbar Spinal Strain, Cervical Spine Strain, Neurological Damage to Arms and Legs, Bilateral Hip Disability, Bilateral Ankle Disability, Osteoarthritis of the Knees
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2018
- Citation
- 1819386
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1819386.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus disabilities, finding that these conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus was granted with a 10% disability rating effective October 30, 2020. The Board found that the earliest date of application for this claim is November 25, 2019.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral tinnitus is dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to May 3, 2006, is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating of 10 percent, but no higher, for bilateral hearing loss from May 3, 2006, to November 2, 2023, is granted.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from November 3, 2023, and continuing, is denied.,The Veteran's claim for Total Disability Rating Based on Unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is granted.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the decision on appeal is legally inadequate due to insufficient notification and an inadequately supported medical opinion. The case is being remanded for further action.
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