The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining an opinion on the cause of his missing ear bones and determining if extraschedular relief should be provided.
The deciding factor: The Board needs to determine whether the loss of bones in the Veteran's ears is due to service-connected bilateral tympanic membrane perforations or nonservice-connected cholesteatoma, and provide guidance on whether additional compensation is warranted based on these findings.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tympanic membrane perforation, bone loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2018
- Citation
- 1813684
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 1813684.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient examination and a pre-decisional duty to assist error. A new VA examination is required.
- Partly granted
The appeal was granted for service connection of left ear hearing loss and OSA, but denied for hepatic steatosis. Several claims were remanded.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's right ear disability, finding that it is etiologically linked to in-service noise exposure. The appeal was successful.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for periodontal disease and chronic periodontal disease (claimed as bone loss) for Class IV dental treatment purposes is granted, subject to the laws and regulations governing Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
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