The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its onset during service and has persisted since then, granting service connection.,Service connection for the left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and lumbar spine disorder secondary to bilateral knee disorders is remanded due to insufficient medical evidence.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded as there are no current audiometric findings that meet VA criteria for a disability. The Veteran's representative indicated possible worsening of his condition since the last examination in 2011.,Service connection for peritoneal adhesions is remanded due to insufficient medical evidence, including lack of records from the private debridement surgery performed in 2002.,Service connection for a psychiatric disorder is remanded as there are no current diagnoses or sufficient medical evidence linking service to the Veteran's claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has provided credible testimony and competent lay observations regarding his tinnitus, which began during service. The VA examiner’s opinion was based on inaccurate factual premises.,There is insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between the current knee disorders and service due to an absence of records from in-service treatment and post-service care.,The Veteran's hearing loss may have worsened since the last examination, necessitating further evaluation by VA audiologists.,Lack of private medical records regarding the 2002 debridement surgery prevents a determination on the claim for peritoneal adhesions.,There are no current diagnoses or sufficient medical evidence linking service to the Veteran's psychiatric conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, lumbar spine disorder, bilateral hearing loss, peritoneal adhesions, psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19110008
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19110008.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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.
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