The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have disabling left ear hearing loss for VA purposes and denied service connection for this condition. The right ear hearing loss claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology during service. Increased ratings for left knee and left hip disabilities are also remanded as additional examinations are needed in accordance with Correia v. McDonald.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss did not meet VA disability criteria, thus denying service connection. The right ear hearing loss claim requires clarification due to conflicting audiometric findings and lack of conversion from ASA units to ISO standards. Increased ratings for left knee and left hip disabilities necessitate additional examinations as per Correia v. McDonald.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, left knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis, left hip arthritis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18119768
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 18119768.
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 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of right ear hearing loss, and the case is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for shin splints, right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), stomach disability, and left ear hearing loss due to errors in providing notice of the right to a hearing.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of sleep apnea, left lower extremity (LLE) sciatic nerve radiculopathy, and right ear hearing loss due to untimely filing.,The Board also dismissed the appeal for service connection of left ear hearing loss as moot because it was already granted in a prior decision.
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