The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear disability, including tinnitus, is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to address her reported symptoms and diagnoses.
The deciding factor: The previous opinion did not fully address the Veteran's reports of ringing in her ears and did not provide an etiology opinion with respect to any Eustachian tube dysfunction or tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear popping sensation, Ear pain, Ringing in the ear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1730923
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 1730923.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The claims for sleep apnea, ear pain, and cough/shortness of breath are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding symptom onset and course.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 0 percent for allergic rhinitis is denied. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for ear pain and headaches secondary to service-connected allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for a compensable disability rating for allergic rhinitis based on nasal obstruction was denied. However, the Veteran received a grant of a 10 percent rating for ear pain and discharge.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and development of records, particularly regarding the nature and etiology of non-lupus ear disabilities. The Veteran's service-connected lupus is not considered in determining whether his current ear disabilities are related to service.
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