The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a low back disorder, left and right hip disorders, as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service incurrence or aggravation by a service-connected disability. The claims were also denied on a presumptive basis.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show a current diagnosis of hearing loss for VA purposes, chronic low back disorder, bilateral hip disorders, or shin splints that were caused or aggravated by service or a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Low back disorder (lumbosacral strain with intervertebral disc syndrome), Left hip disorder (trochanteric pain syndrome), Right hip disorder (trochanteric pain syndrome), Left shin splints, Right shin splints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025356
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 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.
- 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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