The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, gastrointestinal disorder (Crohn's Disease), and bilateral hand numbness, all of which he contends are related to his Gulf War exposure.,Service connection has been remanded for the Veteran's claims of chronic fatigue syndrome, gastrointestinal disorder, and bilateral hand numbness.
The deciding factor: The Veteran presented credible lay evidence regarding in-service noise exposure and continuity of symptoms post-service. Service connection was granted for these conditions based on a finding of service incurrence.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hand Numbness, to include as due to exposure to environmental hazards in the Gulf War, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, to include as due to exposure to environmental hazards in the Gulf War, Gastrointestinal Disorder, to include Crohn's Disease, to include as due to exposure to environmental hazards in the Gulf War, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19107994
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 19107994.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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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