The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted as service-connected.,Tinnitus has been denied for an earlier effective date prior to June 25, 2012, and a rating in excess of 10 percent remains denied.,Service connection for bilateral lower extremity disability (including arthritis), bilateral shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and lower back disability is remanded due to the need for further examination and evaluation.
The deciding factor: The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether left ear hearing loss is the result of noise exposure during military service.,There is no persuasive evidence indicating that tinnitus was incurred or aggravated by service, given the Veteran's current 10 percent rating for tinnitus and the maximum schedular evaluation available from the effective date of the award of service connection.,The Veteran has a present disability (bilateral lower extremity disability, bilateral shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, and lower back disability) that may be related to service. Further examination is needed to determine their etiology.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, bilateral lower extremity disability (including arthritis), bilateral shoulder disability, cervical spine disability, lower back disability (including chronic lower back pain and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 23, 2018
- Citation
- 18104953
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18104953.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral shoulder disability and increased ratings for her bilateral knee disabilities, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the claims of service connection for cervical spine and skin rash disabilities, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to active military service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the claims for miscarriage, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, and right elbow disability due to insufficient examination opinions and incomplete service history verification.
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