The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including an examination to assess the severity of his service-connected left ear hearing loss and perforated tympanic membrane disabilities. The claims for increased ratings will be addressed together.
The deciding factor: Further evaluation is needed to determine the current severity and impact of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities on his daily activities and employment.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss disability, perforated tympanic membrane with scarring and pain in the left ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2013
- Citation
- 1302832
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 1302832.
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's claims for service connection have been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for left ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The Board has remanded the claims for service connection of left and right knee disabilities due to a lack of medical nexus opinions regarding pre-service conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's pre-existing condition is presumed, and the VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on whether the increase in severity of his hearing loss during service was clearly and unmistakably due to natural progression.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and hearing loss disability required hospitalization at a VA Medical Center for more than 21 days, leading to the grant of a temporary total evaluation. Service connection was also granted for left ear nerve damage.
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