The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a May 2004 surgical report related to the Veteran's cholesteatoma surgery at a VA facility. The claim will be reviewed again after this information is obtained.
The deciding factor: Additional medical records are needed to support the decision on service connection for cholesteatoma of the left ear, including the May 2004 surgical report discussed by the VA examiner.
- Claimed conditions
- cholesteatoma of the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2012
- Citation
- 1202286
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1202286.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish service connection for cholesteatoma of the left ear and remanded the case.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's current diagnoses of vertigo and paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve are etiologically related to his active service, specifically to a left ear cholesteatoma that developed during his service. The preponderance of evidence supports this finding.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's cholesteatoma of the left ear was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and is not proximately due to, or aggravated by, a service-connected disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss was aggravated by his military service, warranting service connection.
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