The veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected right ear hearing loss and residuals of a shell fragment wound to the right shoulder are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The issues involve determining appropriate disability ratings based on current medical evidence and regulations. The appeal is not about service connection at all, but rather about the severity of existing conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss, right ear, Residuals of shell fragment wound to the right shoulder with traumatic arthritis, tendinitis and bursitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2004
- Citation
- 0431041
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 0431041.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear has been denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss and thus, cannot establish a link to service. For prostate cancer, the Veteran's claim is remanded as VA did not provide an opinion regarding whether his condition may be related to service due to toxic exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, denied earlier effective dates for the evaluation of right ankle and peripheral vestibular disorders, and denied increased ratings for right ankle and peripheral vestibular disorders as well as a compensable rating for right ear drum perforation.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, right ear; an initial rating in excess of a noncompensable rating for hearing loss, left ear; and service connection for pain and dysfunction of the right knee, right sciatic radicular pain and parasthesia of the right leg, left sciatic radicular pain and parasthesia of the left leg. The claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for right ear hearing loss and granted an initial rating of 40 percent for lumbosacral strain, effective October 20, 2022. The claims for left ear hearing loss and a respiratory disability were remanded.
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