The Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic disability of the lumbar spine is denied as there is no evidence that his current condition began during or was caused by his military service.,Service connection is granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, with the Board finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is not shown to have had its onset during his military service or be otherwise related to any incident therein.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was granted based on the Veteran's credible testimony of in-service noise exposure, which led to current symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002642
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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