The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left foot disorder (secondary to a service-connected left femur fracture), and right foot disorder (secondary to a service-connected left femur fracture).,The Veteran's claim for low back disorder and left hip disorder was remanded.
The deciding factor: The objective results from the July 2017 audiological examination did not show the requisite levels of pure-tone thresholds or speech discriminations to constitute a current disability. The Board found that without a current disability of bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, the claim for service connection cannot prevail.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Foot Disorder (to include as secondary to service-connected residuals of left femur fracture), Right Foot Disorder (to include as secondary to service-connected residuals of left femur fracture), Low Back Disorder, Left Hip Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2020
- Citation
- 20072769
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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