The Board has determined that additional development is necessary due to the unavailability of service treatment records and the need for further verification of in-service stressors related to PTSD.
The deciding factor: VA needs to provide the Veteran with appropriate notice regarding the unavailability of his service treatment records and the types of evidence he may submit to support his claims, including VA military files, statements from service medical personnel, buddy statements, employment physical examination reports, medical evidence from civilian/private medical providers by whom the Veteran was treated, and pharmacy prescription records.
- Claimed conditions
- right foot disorder, left foot disorder, back disorder, heart condition, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression), neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, folliculitis barbae
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19113069
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 19113069.
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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