The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his ability to engage in gainful employment. The case will be adjudicated again after this development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran raised a claim for service connection for knee disability and requested a new VA examination due to previous examinations being incomplete. As this claim is intertwined with the individual unemployability issue, it needs to be addressed first before proceeding with the main appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, residuals of crush injury of the right long finger with degenerative changes, residuals of crush injury of the right index finger with degenerative changes, shrapnel scars of the left lower leg, right axillary area, right upper arm, left eyelid, left hand
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2010
- Citation
- 1030194
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 1030194.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, as the evidence did not support higher ratings or service connection.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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