The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of reopening his service connection for bilateral hammertoes. The decision is also granting service connection for this condition based on direct evidence showing it was incurred in service. For the issue of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a remand is necessary as the July 2011 VA audiology examination did not sufficiently ascertain the Veteran's current hearing acuity.
The deciding factor: The July 2011 VA audiology examination report does not provide sufficient information regarding the current state of the Veteran's hearing acuity to make an informed determination on his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The examination only provided results from a single audiogram conducted in July 2011, without any comparison to previous examinations or assessments.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hammertoes, Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- June 8, 2016
- Citation
- 1622955
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1622955.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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: Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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