The appeal for service connection of a left hand disability is dismissed. The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have current hearing loss to a degree that qualifies as a ratable disability. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for back, knee, and hip disabilities due to potential aggravation by pre-existing conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence of current disability in his left hand or bilateral hearing loss cases, and the claim for service connection was dismissed accordingly. For the remaining issues, the Board found that there is insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the back condition may have been aggravated by service, leading to a remand.
- Claimed conditions
- left hand disability, bilateral hearing loss, back disability (DDD and DJD of the lumbar spine with spondylolisthesis post fusion), left knee disability, right knee disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, bladder condition (claimed as bladder cancer and voiding dysfunction), acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as agitation, depression, and frustration)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2022
- Citation
- A22024419
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 A22024419.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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