The Board remands the claims for a VA psychiatric and general examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's PTSD and whether his service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms have worsened since the last examination, necessitating a more contemporaneous evaluation. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence to determine if he is unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Residuals of a gunshot wound to the left leg, muscle group XI, Residuals of a shell fragment wound, right arm muscle, group V, Residuals of a left knee injury with arthritis, Tinnitus, Bilateral hearing loss, Status post left knee arthroplasty, post-traumatic neuralgia of the right upper extremity (right arm) associated with residuals of shell fragment wound, Post-traumatic peripheral sensory neuropathy of the left leg
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0909386
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
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