The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and consideration of missing records. The VA will determine if his conditions are related to his military service, including exposure in Southwest Asia.
The deciding factor: Missing STRs and potential unavailability of pertinent medical records require further examination and review by VA medical professionals.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Cardiovascular condition, Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and panic attacks), Headaches/migraines, Unspecified joint pain, Memory loss, Neurological condition, Episodes of musculoligamentous strain of both knees, Difficulty walking/gait, S/P septoplasty (sinus disability), Chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18128090
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 18128090.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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