The Board granted service connection for a lumbosacral strain and related conditions, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the lack of evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss to his in-service noise exposure, while there was sufficient evidence supporting a causal link between the Veteran's lumbosacral strain and other lower extremity conditions and his service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Lumbosacral strain (chronic back pain injury with loss of range of motion and incapacitating episodes), Lumbar radiculopathy, left lower extremity sciatic nerve pain, Lumbar radiculopathy, right lower extremity sciatic nerve pain, Total left knee arthroplasty, Total right knee arthroplasty
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25098115
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,506 · Granted: 43% (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 A25098115.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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