The Veteran's claim for left ankle disability is denied. The claim for tonsil/throat cancer is allowed to reopen, but the service connection remains denied. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further examination. Residuals of throat/tonsil cancer are also remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found no indication of a current left ankle disability in the Veteran's case, thus denying service connection. The claim for tonsil/throat cancer was reopened due to new evidence but remains denied as there is no established link between the condition and service. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded because the previous opinion did not adequately address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle disability, tonsil/throat cancer, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2018
- Citation
- 18130262
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 18130262.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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 Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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