The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran was exposed to noise during service and testified about specific instances of acoustic trauma. He also reported having ringing in his ears at discharge.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that there are significant changes at the 2000 frequency, which indicate a worsening of the Veteran's hearing at discharge from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 11, 2018
- Citation
- 1802382
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 1802382.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability as the evidence did not support a nexus between the disability and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, resolving all doubt in the Veteran's favor based on his in-service noise exposure.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to a lack of jurisdiction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to correct pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.