The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for defective vision, hearing loss, and infertility. The evaluation for TMJ dysfunction is increased from 20 percent to 30 percent effective November 14, 1997; the evaluation for myofascial pain syndrome with tension headaches is increased from 0 percent to 30 percent effective April 7, 2004; and the evaluation for pelvic adhesions is increased from noncompensable to 10 percent effective March 17, 1997.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's TMJ dysfunction required a higher rating due to its impact on her ability to open her mouth widely. The issue of service connection for defective vision and hearing loss was not addressed as it is not part of this decision. Service connection for infertility has been granted, but with a noncompensable evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Defective Vision, Hearing Loss, Infertility
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2005
- Citation
- 0500764
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,582 · Granted: 32% (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 0500764.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a bilateral hearing disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability at any time during or recent to the filing of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, asthma, and foot conditions, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history throughout the appeal period.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of a disability that meets VA's criteria for a disability.
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