The appeal is remanded for a VA examination to determine the etiology of the veteran's cholesteatoma and whether it is related to his service-connected hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that an additional examination is necessary to fully address the merits of the claim, as the previous VA examiner did not provide sufficient rationale or consider all relevant evidence in making a determination regarding the etiology of the cholesteatoma and its relationship to the veteran's service-connected hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- cholesteatoma of the left ear
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 11, 2008
- Citation
- 0812026
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 0812026.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish service connection for cholesteatoma of the left ear and remanded the case.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's current diagnoses of vertigo and paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve are etiologically related to his active service, specifically to a left ear cholesteatoma that developed during his service. The preponderance of evidence supports this finding.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's cholesteatoma of the left ear was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not proximately due to, or aggravated by, a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss was aggravated by his military service, warranting service connection.
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