The Veteran's hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. The Board finds that service connection for low back disability, left shoulder arthritis, and right shoulder arthritis has not been met due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The December 2022 VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's current lumbar degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and mild facet arthropathy of the lumbar spine are less likely than not related to service. The same conclusion was reached for the right shoulder arthritis due to lack of evidence supporting a link between in-service injury and current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing Loss, Low Back Disability, Left Shoulder Arthritis, Right Shoulder Arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23023213
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 23023213.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his low back, left knee, and right knee disabilities due to inadequate VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to obtain private treatment records from Mays & Schnapp Pain Management and schedule the Veteran for additional medical examinations.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back disability, including diagnosed degenerative arthritis with DDD other than intervertebral disc syndrome and spinal stenosis status post L3, L4, and L5 laminectomy. The decision is based on the Veteran's in-service injury and his ongoing symptoms since then.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection are remanded due to inadequate medical opinions at the time of the June and August 2025 decisions. The cases will be returned to the AOJ for further development.
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