The Veteran's hearing loss disability has not been shown to be worse than Level II in either ear, resulting in a 0 percent rating. The Board found no evidence of worsening since the last examination and denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. For emphysema and COPD, service connection is remanded due to lack of opinion on Agent Orange exposure. Service connection for gastrointestinal disorder is also remanded as there was no opinion on whether it is related to Agent Orange or aggravated by a service-connected psychiatric disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss has not improved since the last examination, and thus does not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Gastrointestinal Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2018
- Citation
- 18148673
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 18148673.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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