The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including left and right knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, hip disabilities, ankle disabilities, sleep apnea, inguinal hernia, psychiatric disorders, and dyslipidemia. The appeals are pending due to insufficient evidence or need for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical evidence did not establish a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service, particularly given the lack of documented complaints or treatment during service and the long period without symptoms following separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left ankle disability, right ankle disability, sleep apnea, inguinal hernia, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depression), dyslipidemia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2018
- Citation
- 18152194
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 18152194.
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.
- 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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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.
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