The Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches, bilateral wrist nerve condition, bilateral hearing loss, neck condition, back condition, right shoulder clavicle disability, and left elbow condition have all been denied. The Board found no current disabilities of the claimed conditions.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between any current disabilities and military service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have current diagnoses for headaches/migraines or bilateral wrist nerve condition, which are required elements for service connection. The VA examiner found no diagnosis of these conditions in the May 2022 examination.,For the bilateral wrist nerve condition, there is no evidence of a current disability and the April 2022 VA examination did not find any bilateral wrist nerve condition. The Veteran's testimony at her hearing was that she does not have this condition currently.,Regarding bilateral hearing loss, while the Veteran has conceded exposure to hazardous noise, the audiometric findings do not meet the criteria for a grant of service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385. The AOJ found no continuity of symptomatology or worsening of hearing loss where entitlement would be warranted.,For the neck condition, the VA examiner concluded that the current cervical strain is less likely than not incurred in or caused by an injury in service. There was also no indication of continuity of symptomatology following discharge.
- Claimed conditions
- Headaches, Bilateral Wrist Nerve Condition, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Neck Condition, Back Condition, Right Shoulder Clavicle Disability, Left Elbow Condition, Right Wrist Condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2024
- Citation
- A24053063
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 A24053063.
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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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