The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right ear disability, vertigo, and an eye disability. The claim for increased evaluation for tinnitus is remanded as it involves a legal issue. The claims for earlier effective date for service connection for tinnitus and service connection for headaches are also remanded due to lack of examination. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to establish current disabilities for the right ear, vertigo, or eye conditions during service, thus denying service connection for these conditions. For tinnitus, the Board noted that VA's longstanding interpretation of the diagnostic code limits a single 10% evaluation regardless of whether perceived in one ear or both ears.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear disability, vertigo, eye disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18129882
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 18129882.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hypertension, fibromyalgia, and vertigo. The decision found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are found to be related to military noise exposure during service.,The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, gastrointestinal (GI) disability, and vertigo are remanded for further examination and opinion.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo, finding that it is related to a head injury sustained during active duty. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Partly granted
The claims for service connection for hypertension, back pain, right hip pain, left hip pain, right knee pain, and left knee pain have been readjudicated. The claim for sleep apnea has also been readjudicated.,Service connection has been granted for a neck condition, back pain, right hip pain, left hip pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, an acquired psychiatric disorder, bruxism, and vertigo.
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