The veteran seeks an increased rating for his service-connected defective hearing, but the RO denied this claim based on recent VA examinations. The Board has ordered a remand to re-examine the veteran and determine if he suffers from other ear conditions that might be rated under different diagnostic codes.
The deciding factor: The veteran's current hearing loss is not the only issue; his symptoms include discharge, ringing, pain, and numbness in the right ear. These additional issues may warrant a higher rating based on different criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- defective hearing, discharge from both ears, ringing in the right ear, constant numbness in the right ear, heavy wax with itching
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2007
- Citation
- 0735297
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 0735297.
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 a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to December 6, 2012 due to insufficient evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's motion to vacate a 1979 Board decision regarding defective hearing and tinnitus was dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for defective hearing and hypertension due to additional VA medical records being added to the file after a previous SSOC. The Veteran's claim for increased rating for defective hearing prior to July 28, 2020 is remanded for a retrospective medical opinion. The claim for service connection for hypertension is also remanded as there was not substantial compliance with the August 2019 remand directive.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to incomplete processing. The Veteran's defective hearing and hypertension service connection claims are not ready for review.
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