The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, chondromalacia patella of the left and right knees with degenerative joint disease, and depression due to in-service noise exposure and service-connected arthritis of the back.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions based on direct evidence.
The deciding factor: The Board has determined that additional development is necessary as there are unresolved issues regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral knee conditions, depression, and their relationship to his in-service noise exposure and service-connected arthritis of the back.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chondromalacia Patella of the Left Knee with Degenerative Joint Disease, Chondromalacia Patella of the Right Knee with Degenerative Joint Disease, Depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106350
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19106350.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- 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.
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