The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination to obtain an actual medical opinion addressing the functional impact of his bilateral hearing loss on the 'ordinary conditions of daily life'. The claim will be referred to VA's Chief Benefits Director or the Director of VA's Compensation Service for extra-schedular consideration.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the Board provided an inadequate statement of reasons or bases for relying on the June 2014 examination in denying the Veteran's claim for a compensable, extra-schedular rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Court directed the Board to explain its reliance on the June 2014 examiner's opinion, or to obtain further opinion in this regard.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2016
- Citation
- 1624131
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 1624131.
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 appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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