The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected ear disorders and determine if any neck or left arm pain are separate from these conditions.
The deciding factor: The case must be remanded due to incomplete evidence and the need for an updated VA examination during a flare-up of the Veteran's symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic otitis externa, otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2009
- Citation
- 0937225
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 0937225.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Dismissed
The claims seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left foot and bladder disabilities, as well as service connection for tinnitus, are dismissed due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claim seeking service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is readjudicated.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic otitis externa has been rated at a 10 percent disability level, effective from the date of the decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to assess the current severity of her service-connected disabilities. The issues remain on appeal as they have not been finally decided.
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