The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient examination findings regarding the Veteran's right ear hearing loss. The examiner is instructed to consider the full record, including the Veteran's lay statements and types of noise exposure during service, and determine if it is at least as likely as not that his right ear hearing loss had its onset during service or is causally related to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The remand directs an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the Veteran's right ear hearing loss, considering all relevant evidence including lay statements and types of noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Left ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19101079
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for degenerative joint disease and intervertebral disc syndrome, cervical spine; cervical spine radiculopathy, right upper extremity; coronary artery disease; and right ear hearing loss.
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