The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities. The claim for left knee condition (cervical strain) has been remanded due to incomplete medical records.,Service connection cannot be granted for the Veteran's neck disability because it was not shown during his active service, and there is insufficient evidence linking it to a currently diagnosed left knee condition.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence does not support the presence of current disabilities for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus. The VA examination did not find any current disability related to the Veteran's neck disability.,There is no direct service connection as there was no diagnosis during service and insufficient evidence linking the current condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee condition (cervical strain)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101305
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 19101305.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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