The Board is remanding the case to consider whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for hearing loss in the left ear. The veteran will be notified of what specific evidence would be required to substantiate this element or elements needed for service connection that were found insufficient at the time of the previous denial.
The deciding factor: The Board must consider whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for hearing loss in the left ear due to the recent decision in Kent v. Nicholson, which requires notification on what evidence is necessary to substantiate the element or elements required to establish service connection that were found insufficient at the time of the previous denial.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2006
- Citation
- 0634567
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,645 · Granted: 19% (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 0634567.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions, including spinal arthritis of the neck and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the neck/upper back. However, tinnitus was granted, and a 20% rating was assigned for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied it for hearing loss in the left ear, while remanding the claim for hearing loss in the right ear due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for hearing loss in his left ear.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hearing loss in the left ear but denied it for the right ear.
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