The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and DJD of the left knee were denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these conditions being related to active service.,For his right knee disability, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating was also denied. The highest possible rating under applicable codes (DC 5259) has already been granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were no medical records indicating hearing loss or tinnitus in service and that any current conditions are not related to active service.,For the right knee, the Veteran's disability is rated based on post-service surgery and does not meet criteria for higher ratings under applicable codes.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100491
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (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 19100491.
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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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