The Board remands the issues of an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and a higher rating for right hand shrapnel wound residuals to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) for further development.
The deciding factor: Further VA examination is necessary to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, as his last evaluation was in June 2005.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic bilateral hearing loss disability, chronic tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2009
- Citation
- 0911425
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,514 · 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 0911425.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for chronic tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of tinnitus is related to her military service despite conflicting reports from her VA and private physicians. The decision resolves reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and is unrelated to his period of active duty. The VA examiner opined that it is least likely as not related to noise exposure in service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic tinnitus did not manifest during service or within one year of discharge, and is unrelated to any noise exposure during active duty service. The claim for service connection for tinnitus is denied.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and chronic tinnitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, as there was no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service. The Board also noted that the Veteran did not have a hearing loss disability for VA purposes at any time.
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