The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination and address the issues of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, bladder cancer, and skin cancer. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that a new VA examination is necessary due to the significant time period since the Veteran's most recent pertinent VA examination and conflicting medical reports in the record.
- Claimed conditions
- post-operative degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine with radiculopathy of the lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, type II, bladder cancer, skin cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2018
- Citation
- 1805873
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 1805873.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
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