The Board has remanded both claims due to the need for a supplemental VA opinion regarding whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is aggravated by his service-connected left ear hearing loss disability. The claims are also inextricably intertwined and must be addressed together.
The deciding factor: The claims require further clarification on whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is aggravated by his service-connected left ear hearing loss disability, necessitating a supplemental VA opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- Defective hearing of the left ear, Defective hearing of the right ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 8, 2011
- Citation
- 1122258
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 1122258.
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 appeal was dismissed due to the death of the appellant.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's defective hearing in the left ear is at least as likely as not related to exposure to acoustic trauma during military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's defective hearing of the left ear is due to injury incurred in service and grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected otitis media and defective hearing of the left ear. The claim for service connection for defective hearing of the right ear was also denied due to a lack of communication on the issue after the RO's October 1996 decision.
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