The Board has remanded the case for further development due to new evidence and additional argument submitted by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for a medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any current ear disability, including whether service connection can be established.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ear disability, perforation of tympanic membranes, chronic ear infections, otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19108045
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (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 19108045.
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 plantar fasciitis, chronic ear infections, chronic allergic rhinitis, colon polyps, squamous cell carcinoma, and chronic headaches (to include as due to sinusitis) based on the lack of current diagnoses.,The Veteran's assertions were not considered competent evidence regarding his claimed conditions.
- Dismissed
The claims seeking compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for left foot and bladder disabilities, as well as service connection for tinnitus, are dismissed due to lack of new and relevant evidence. The claim seeking service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is readjudicated.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral ear disability, excluding skin-related manifestations of lupus, finding no current disability and thus not meeting one of the three requirements for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for morbid obesity, difficulty walking, allergic rhinitis, otitis media, gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claims for service connection for tinea pedis and onychomycosis are also denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for difficulty walking is denied as it is a symptom of other diagnosed conditions, including back disability, bilateral knee disability, and pes planus. The Veteran's claim for service connection for allergic rhinitis is denied due to lack of medical nexus between the condition and in-service incurrence. The Veteran's claim for service connection for otitis media is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for gout, sleep apnea, hyperglycemia, kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy), polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), polyneuropathy of the left lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy), and polyneuropathy of the right lower extremity (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) are denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinea pedis is denied as there are no contemporaneous records indicating a diagnosis prior to separation from service.
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