The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for urethral stricture is remanded. The claims for service connection of a psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and earlier effective date are also remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder (schizoaffective disorder) is remanded. His TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the remaining issues on appeal.,The Veteran's claims for service connection of headaches and bilateral hearing loss are remanded. The earlier effective date for urethral stricture remains pending.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss is remanded. His TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the remaining issues on appeal.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of tinnitus is remanded. His TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the remaining issues on appeal.,The earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for urethral stricture remains pending. The Veteran's TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the remaining issues on appeal.,The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.
The deciding factor: The claims are being remanded due to incomplete STRs, conflicting medical evidence, and procedural errors in the issuance of examination notices. The Veteran needs to be provided with another opportunity for examinations.,The claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder (schizoaffective disorder) is being remanded because the current opinion from Dr. HHG is inadequate and does not address the conflicting medical evidence of record or explain how the urethral stricture was similar to chronic musculoskeletal joint pain. The Veteran needs to be provided with another opportunity for an examination.,The claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss is being remanded because there are VA treatment records showing impaired hearing in both ears and a September 2015 VA psychiatric medical record noting the Veteran appeared to have difficulty hearing. A new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed bilateral hearing loss.,The claim for service connection of tinnitus is being remanded because there are conflicting opinions regarding its relationship to service, including a lack of evidence in the claims file and a statement that the date of evaluation was not close enough to the dates of service. A new VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed tinnitus.,The earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for urethral stricture remains pending because the RO has not issued a SOC addressing this issue. The Veteran needs to be provided with an opportunity to respond to the SOC.,The claim for TDIU is being remanded due to its inextricability from other issues on appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- urethral stricture, schizoaffective disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19106457
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 19106457.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.