The Veteran's initial claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his appeal for an increased rating for the same condition was also denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service.,Service connection for lumbar spine DDD was denied as the Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a link between his current condition and active service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss has been rated based on VA criteria, which does not support a compensable rating prior to May 29, 2019. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any worsening of his hearing loss until after the August 2013 examination.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, multilevel degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195257
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 19195257.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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