The Veteran's left and right ear hearing loss were denied as there was no evidence of current hearing loss for VA purposes.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was also denied due to lack of evidence meeting the criteria for a disability for VA purposes.,Allergies, claimed as hay fever, service connection was remanded as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if they are related to service.,Service connection for left shoulder disability, back disability, right knee disability, and right ankle disabilities were all remanded due to incomplete records and need for additional opinions.,Service connection for a heart disability (irregular heartbeat), hypertension, and allergies were also remanded as there is insufficient medical evidence to determine if they are related to service.,An initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied and the Veteran's appeal must be returned to the Board for further consideration.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have current hearing loss for VA purposes, and there is no evidence that his right ear hearing loss met the criteria for a disability.,There was insufficient evidence of current hearing loss in the right ear for VA purposes, and the Veteran's service treatment records do not show any history of right ear hearing loss.,The Veteran did not have allergies related to service as there is no medical evidence linking his allergies to service.,Incomplete records prevented a determination on the relationship between the Veteran’s disabilities and service. Additional opinions are needed regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.,There was insufficient medical evidence to determine if the Veteran's heart disability, hypertension, or allergies were related to service. Further examination is required.,The Veteran's PTSD claim must be remanded as there is no statement of the case issued.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, allergies (hay fever), left shoulder disability, back disability, right knee disability, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, heart disability (irregular heartbeat), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19107877
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19107877.
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.
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The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
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The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
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The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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