The Veteran's claim for an increased rating and earlier effective date for his service-connected urethral stricture is remanded.,The Veteran's claims for service connection of a psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection of headaches is remanded if additional STRs show treatment during service.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected urethral stricture is remanded.,The Veteran's TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the other claims and is therefore also remanded.,An earlier effective date of September 6, 2013, for the grant of service connection for urethral stricture is requested.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs are incomplete due to missing separation examination. The RO has not issued a SOC addressing the earlier effective date claim.,Medical opinions and examinations are needed to address the nature, etiology, and severity of the Veteran’s service-connected conditions as well as his claims for service connection and TDIU.,The Veteran's STRs may contain information about his in-service headaches. A VA examination is necessary to determine if any current headache condition is related to service.,An earlier effective date claim requires a determination of when the Veteran became entitled to benefits, which necessitates additional medical opinions and examinations.,The TDIU claim is dependent on the outcome of other claims for service connection and increased ratings. The claims must be remanded in order to properly adjudicate all issues.,An earlier effective date of September 6, 2013, was granted for the Veteran's service-connected urethral stricture.
- 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
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 remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for tinnitus, cubital tunnel syndrome, right plantar fasciitis, and a right knee disability due to the lack of evidence supporting a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 25, 2022, for the award of service connection for tinnitus and a 100 percent initial rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
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