The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds insufficient evidence to grant a higher rating.,Service connection for right and left knee disabilities is denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or environmental exposures.,Peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities are not service connected, with no objective evidence of peripheral neuropathy at the time of examination 25 years after service.,The Veteran's sleep disorder is not service connected.
The deciding factor: The audiometric findings do not meet criteria for a compensable rating due to the Veteran's hearing acuity levels being within normal limits or only slightly above them. The VA examiner found no evidence of significant hearing loss that would warrant a higher rating.,The VA Gulf War Registry examination did not find any diagnosed medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness, and there is no objective evidence of knee disabilities during service or due to environmental exposures. The Veteran's current symptoms are attributed to wear and tear from his age and obesity rather than service-related injuries.,There was no diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy at the time of examination in 2016, and the VA examiner noted that the Veteran’s subjective report of tingling sensations is not supported by objective evidence. The risk factors for peripheral neuropathy include older age, obesity, and bone deformities like patella alta.,The Veteran's sleep disorder was not diagnosed during service or linked to environmental exposures in Southwest Asia.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, peripheral neuropathy of right upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of left upper extremity, sleep disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 30, 2023
- Citation
- 23019696
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 23019696.
What this means for you
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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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