The Veteran's left knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.,The Veteran's right knee disability, including as secondary to his left knee condition, is denied due to lack of service-connected disability and insufficient evidence linking it to service or a service-connected disability.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no in-service event, injury, or disease, and the August 2017 private provider opinion is inadequate.,The Veteran's tinnitus is denied due to lack of an in-service onset and insufficient evidence linking it to service.,The Veteran's kidney disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
The deciding factor: There is not a current disability for left knee disability, right knee disability (secondary), bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or kidney disability. The preponderance of the evidence does not support service connection for any of these conditions.,The Veteran's right knee disability and bilateral hearing loss are denied as there was no in-service event, injury, or disease, and insufficient evidence linking them to service.,Tinnitus is denied due to lack of an in-service onset and insufficient evidence linking it to service. The Veteran's kidney disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, kidney disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- A19003222
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,455 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A19003222.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.