The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative disc disease at L2-L3 and L4-L5, severance of service connection for right ear hearing loss (previously rated as bilateral hearing loss), an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for left ear hearing loss, and TDIU. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the Veteran did not have a nexus between his current degenerative disc disease at L2-L3 and L4-L5 and his in-service service or any other event, injury, or illness. They also concluded that severance of service connection for right ear hearing loss was proper as it was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease at L2-L3 and L4-L5, Right ear hearing loss (previously rated as bilateral hearing loss), Left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19114991
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 19114991.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's liver disability has not resulted in any compensable symptoms, as he had a previous history of liver disease but is currently asymptomatic.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss has been rated at noncompensable level due to the absence of more than Level I hearing acuity.
- Granted
The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from August 6, 2008 due to the Veteran's service-connected right knee disability.
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