The Board has remanded the case for additional development and to provide a supplemental medical opinion regarding whether tinnitus aggravated hearing loss in the left ear. The Veteran's claims of severance of service connection for hammertoes and TDIU are also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board requested an examination to determine if tinnitus caused or significantly aggravated the Veteran's hearing loss, which is a necessary step before deciding his claim for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss in the left ear, hammertoes of the second, third and fourth toes of the left foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2016
- Citation
- 1628929
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 1628929.
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: Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for several conditions, including spinal arthritis of the neck and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS) of the neck/upper back. However, tinnitus was granted, and a 20% rating was assigned for left lower extremity radiculopathy.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for tinnitus and denied it for hearing loss in the left ear, while remanding the claim for hearing loss in the right ear due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a compensable rating for hearing loss in his left ear.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hearing loss in the left ear but denied it for the right ear.
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