The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding that new and material evidence had not been presented to reopen the claim for PTSD and left ear hearing loss, and that the criteria for higher ratings were not met for right ear hearing loss, lumbar strain, left knee disability, and right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's claims did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating or reopening due to lack of new and material evidence supporting his claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Left ear hearing loss, Right ear hearing loss, Lumbar strain, Left knee disability, Right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2024
- Citation
- 24003761
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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