The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for left and right ear hearing loss disabilities due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran does not have current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and his right ear hearing loss did not manifest during or within a presumptive period after service.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence fails to demonstrate the presence of current hearing loss disability for VA purposes in either ear, and there is insufficient evidence to establish continuity of symptomatology or a nexus between any current hearing loss and service.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102514
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 disability rating for left and right lower extremity radiculopathy from April 3, 2023 onward, but denied higher ratings prior to that date. Service connection was also granted for alcohol use disorder as secondary to PTSD with traumatic brain injury.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that it is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for hypogonadism with fatigue, GERD, and a right ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran's left rib disability was denied, and the ratings for his left shoulder injury, left hip bursitis, impairment of the left thigh, left knee retropatellar pain syndrome limitation of extension, and left ankle sprain were either granted or denied with specific rating percentages.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the current condition and his in-service noise exposure.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.