The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss disability, and remanded several other issues including ratings for ankle strains, lumbar spine, lower extremity radiculopathy, knee disabilities, chronic headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss for VA compensation purposes. The evidence did not support the claim as the Veteran's right ear auditory thresholds in any of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hz is not 40 decibels or greater; his auditory thresholds for at least three of the frequencies are not 26 decibels or greater; and his speech recognition scores using the Maryland CNC Test are not less than 94 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear hearing loss disability, right ankle strain, left ankle strain, lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right knee disability, left knee disability, chronic headaches, acquired psychiatric disorder to include agoraphobia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2025
- Citation
- A25051473
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 service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
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