The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss.,An initial disability rating of 20 percent, but no greater, for DDD of the lumbar spine with IVDS from June 30, 2014 is granted. The Veteran does not meet criteria for a higher rating due to lack of forward flexion and IVDS episodes.,The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for right shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis is denied as the evidence does not support a rating greater than 20 percent.,An initial disability rating of 30 percent, but no greater, for posttraumatic headaches from June 30, 2014 is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's audiometric test results do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA regulations.,The Veteran does not have forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine resulting in 30 degrees or less, nor favorable ankylosis. The combined range of motion is also within normal limits.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability did not result in limitation of motion of the arm midway between side and shoulder.,The Veteran's posttraumatic headaches did not result in very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the Lumbar Spine with Intervertebral Disc Syndrome (IVDS), Right Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendonitis, Posttraumatic Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 24, 2022
- Citation
- 22010836
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 22010836.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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