The Board denied service connection for right shoulder, right ankle, and bilateral hearing loss disabilities. It also denied increased ratings for COPD, radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, and residuals of a thoracic spine fracture.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support current disability due to any of these claimed conditions related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disability, Right Ankle Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Hand Fracture at the Base of the First Metacarpal, Tinnitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Residuals of a Thoracic Spine Fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19128629
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 70% rating for PTSD from November 25, 2015 to August 12, 2024 and a 40% rating for the right shoulder disability. It also granted 10% ratings for both feet and 20% ratings for knee patellofemoral pain syndromes.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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