The Veteran's service connection for a low back disability is granted.,An initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability prior to February 26, 2018 and thereafter is denied.,An initial compensable rating for kidney stones prior to February 26, 2018 is denied. A rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter is granted beginning from February 26, 2018.,Initial ratings in excess of 20 percent for left shoulder disability, neck disability, left knee disability, and right knee disability are remanded.,Entitlement to service connection for a low back disability is granted. The Veteran's hearing impairment was rated as Level I in both ears prior to February 26, 2018 and as Level I thereafter. Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for kidney stones is denied prior to February 26, 2018 and entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent thereafter is granted.,The Veteran's left shoulder, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities are remanded for further examination.

The deciding factor: Service connection was presumed based on the Veteran's service in Southwest Asia. The Veteran reported persistent back pain since service which continued after discharge.,Bilateral hearing loss disability did not meet criteria for a compensable rating as it was at Level I in both ears prior to February 26, 2018 and Level I thereafter.,Kidney stones were rated based on the absence of catheter drainage and no infection. Beginning from February 26, 2018, the Veteran had occasional attacks of colic which warranted a rating in excess of 10 percent.,The VA examinations did not provide sufficient information regarding functional loss during flare-ups for left shoulder, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities. The Veteran's history of flare-ups was inconsistent between his January 2015 and March 2018 VA examinations.,Initial ratings in excess of 20 percent were denied as the evidence did not show that the Veteran had any signs or symptoms due to urolithiasis, such as recurrent symptomatic urinary tract or kidney infections. The Veteran's condition was quiescent.,The Veteran's left shoulder, neck, left knee, and right knee disabilities are remanded for further examination.

Claimed conditions

Low back pain, Bilateral hearing loss disability, Kidney stones

How they argued it

Presumptive (no nexus needed)

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

June 13, 2019

Citation

19146050

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 19146050.