The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and development to determine the current severity of his service-connected lumbar spine disability, bilateral hearing loss, neurogenic bowel disorder, and cervical spine condition. The Veteran also needs VA examinations to address whether his cervical spine condition is related to his active service or service-connected lumbar spine disability.
The deciding factor: The appeal requires additional medical evaluations to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work, as well as to assess the nature and etiology of his cervical spine condition.
- Claimed conditions
- postoperative lumbar laminectomy with spondylosis, degenerative disc disease, and spondylolisthesis, bilateral hearing loss, neurogenic bowel disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1737449
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 1737449.
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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