The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bruxism, sciatica of the right and left lower extremities, a heart disability, hypertension, pulmonary embolism, anemia, helicobacter pylori infection, and gastroesophageal reflux disease as there was no evidence to support a current diagnosis or a link to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as the weight of the evidence supported a finding that he does not have a current disability in accordance with VA standards, and there is no evidence linking any of these conditions to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Bruxism, Sciatica of the right lower extremity, Sciatica of the left lower extremity, Heart disability, Hypertension, Pulmonary embolism, Anemia, Helicobacter pylori infection, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2024
- Citation
- 24003121
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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