The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability and there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms.,The Board also denied service connection for residuals of a cervical injury, concluding that while the Veteran has a current neck disability, it is not related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence did not show any hearing loss during service and no continuity of symptomatology post-service. The March 2018 VA examiner found the Veteran's statements regarding in-service noise exposure inconsistent with his STRs, which showed no neck complaints or abnormalities at separation.,There was no direct evidence linking the current cervical spine disability to service. The March 2018 VA examiner provided a negative nexus opinion based on the lack of contemporaneous records indicating any neck issues during service and the Veteran's own inconsistent statements regarding when he first experienced neck pain.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Cervical Spine Disability (Residuals of Cervical Injury)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 21, 2023
- Citation
- 23003814
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 23003814.
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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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