The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability (claimed as back pain), left hip disability (claimed as left hip pain), right hip disability (claimed as right hip pain), left foot disability (claimed as left foot cramps), and right foot disability (claimed as right foot cramps) due to lack of evidence of a current disability in service or related to military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not have diagnosed disabilities for any of these conditions at any time during the appeal period, and thus could not establish service connection based on direct service connection criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Back Disability (claimed as back pain), Left Hip Disability (claimed as left hip pain), Right Hip Disability (claimed as right hip pain), Left Foot Disability (claimed as left foot cramps), Right Foot Disability (claimed as right foot cramps)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23049641
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 23049641.
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.
- 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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