The Board has determined that further development is needed, including obtaining new VA examinations and retrieving any outstanding medical treatment records. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus of the right ear, and service connection for a bilateral knee disability are being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that current evidence is not contemporaneous with the previous examination used to assign the noncompensable rating for left ear hearing loss. Additionally, there is insufficient medical evidence to determine whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service or his bilateral knee disability had its onset in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Right ear hearing loss, Tinnitus of right ear, Bilateral knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2017
- Citation
- 1714005
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 1714005.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability does not meet or approximate criteria for a compensable (10%) disability rating at any point during the appeal period.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
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