The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives, specifically regarding a medical opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: There was not substantial compliance with the prior remand directives as the August 2017 decision did not address the November 2015 remand’s specific request for an updated medical opinion discussing the private audiological findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19104798
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, psychiatric disorder, lumbar spine disability, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to the Veteran's military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding no evidence of a nexus between his current disabilities and his military service.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder is granted an initial rating of 50 percent, and some claims for service connection are denied while others are remanded.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection and higher initial disability ratings due to concurrent elections under the Appeals Modernization Act, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a current disability or nexus to service.
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.