The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left knee, right knee, back (mid/lower back and thoracolumbar spine), left ankle, and right ankle disabilities as they were not shown to be related to the Veteran's military service. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim was remanded.
The deciding factor: The August 2023 VA examiner found clinically normal hearing for both ears and no chronic knee or back disability, and the evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Left knee disability, Right knee disability, Back disability (mid/lower back and thoracolumbar spine), Left ankle disability, Right ankle disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25024288
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.
- 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 matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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