The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and dismissed the appeals related to proposed reductions in ratings for radiculopathy and varicose veins of both lower extremities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss was determined not to meet the criteria for a compensable rating, and the appeal regarding the proposed reduction of ratings for the lower extremity conditions was premature as no final decision had been made on those reductions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Radiculopathy, right lower extremity, Radiculopathy, left lower extremity, Varicose veins, right lower extremity, Varicose veins, left lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2025
- Citation
- A25055166
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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