The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no evidence of in-service noise exposure or a link to service.,The Veteran's right and left knee replacements are remanded due to the absence of continuity of symptomatology from service and lack of explanation regarding claimed in-service injuries.,The Veteran's hypertension, chronic renal disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia are remanded as they may be related to his multiple myeloma. The claims for these conditions will be deferred pending further development.,The Veteran's multiple myeloma is remanded due to the absence of a dose estimate from VA’s Under Secretary for Health regarding ionizing radiation exposure during service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence or claim that the Veteran was diagnosed with a hearing loss disability within one year of service, and there is no objective evidence of noise-induced auditory injury prior to separation from service.,The Veteran has not provided any explanation regarding the purported in-service injuries and the relationship to his post-service bilateral knee replacements. Further development is required.,The claims for hypertension, chronic renal disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia are remanded as they may be related to the Veteran's multiple myeloma. The claims will be deferred pending further development.,The Veteran’s radiation exposure during service was not due to atmospheric nuclear weapons test participation or the occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, so a dose estimate must be obtained from VA’s Under Secretary for Health.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, right knee replacement, left knee replacement, hypertension, chronic renal disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18142757
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 18142757.
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
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