The veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied service connection for a ruptured right eardrum is being remanded due to the need for compliance with the notice provisions of the Veteran's Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA).
The deciding factor: The RO failed to provide proper VCAA notification, including informing the veteran about what evidence would be necessary to reopen his claim and establish service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- ruptured right eardrum
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2006
- Citation
- 0615170
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0615170.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for ruptured right eardrum has been granted. The claims for service connection for headaches and allergic rhinitis are remanded.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for lumbar spine disability, IBS, and ruptured right eardrum has been granted. Service connection is established for the lumbar spine disability on a secondary basis to his service-connected right knee disability. The rating assigned for IBS is 30 percent. The appeal regarding the ruptured right eardrum remains pending.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to be etiologically related to in-service acoustic trauma. The issues of service connection for ruptured left and right eardrums are dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's service-connected ruptured right eardrum disability is evaluated at the maximum noncompensable (0 percent) rating under Diagnostic Code 6211. The Board finds that a compensable rating is not warranted for this disability.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.