The veteran is seeking service connection for hearing loss in the left ear as secondary to his already service-connected right ear hearing loss. The RO has ordered a remand to obtain an opinion on whether the right ear hearing loss has caused or aggravated the left ear hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner will be asked to determine if there is at least a 50% likelihood that the veteran's right ear hearing loss has caused or aggravated his left ear hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss in the left ear, Hearing loss in the right ear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2000
- Citation
- 0031952
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 0031952.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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 hearing loss in the left ear as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting VA criteria.
- Denied
The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as Level I, which corresponds to a noncompensable rating. The Board denied the claim for an initial compensable rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hearing loss in the left ear for VA purposes, and thus denied service connection. For the right ear, the Board found that there is no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's hearing loss was incurred during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraine headaches, tinnitus, hearing loss, and erectile dysfunction, precluded him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 8, 2022. The Board has granted a TDIU effective from January 8, 2022 onward.
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