The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether the Veteran's loss of balance is related to service or secondary to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion on whether the loss of balance is etiologically related to service, including a nearby canon/Howitzer blast, or caused by or aggravated by service-connected hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of balance, ataxia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19110326
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 19110326.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's COPD is granted as service connected. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and loss of balance are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error, as there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's inner ear symptoms are related to service or any other condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and ataxia due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The claims are being returned for further examination and opinion.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal concerning service connection for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, loss of balance, and left ear trauma has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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