The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting opinions. The issues include tinnitus, left knee disability, right knee disability, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity sciatica, right lower extremity sciatica, acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression), and bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The examination reports are inadequate to adjudicate the claims for service connection due to conflicting opinions and lack of clarity regarding current diagnoses and etiology. The issues are inextricably intertwined with each other.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, left knee disability, right knee disability, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left lower extremity sciatica, right lower extremity sciatica, acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18128141
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 18128141.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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