The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome and retrolisthesis L2-L3, degenerative arthritis, other than post-traumatic, right knee, lateral collateral ligament sprain (chronic/recurrent), left ankle, right ankle, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), tinea pedis, fallen arches, and left knee instability due to inadequate VA medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examiner's rationale for denying service connection was inadequate as it relied on the absence of documentation as negative substantive evidence and failed to address the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and progression of his conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease other than intervertebral disc syndrome and retrolisthesis L2-L3, degenerative arthritis, other than post-traumatic, right knee, lateral collateral ligament sprain (chronic/recurrent), left ankle, right ankle, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), tinea pedis, fallen arches, left knee instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25093755
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,893 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25093755.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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