The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, a cardiac disability, and a psychiatric disorder other than anxiety are not granted. The cases have been remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine appropriate ratings.
The deciding factor: The claims were denied as there was no current evidence of a hearing loss disability or tinnitus meeting the criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385, and service connection could not be established for these conditions due to lack of in-service noise exposure. For the cardiac disability, service connection on a presumptive basis was denied as there was no evidence showing cardiovascular disease within one year after discharge. Service connection for tinnitus was also denied as it did not manifest within a year of discharge and there was no credible lay assertion or medical evidence supporting its onset during service.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, tinnitus, cardiac disability, psychiatric disorder (anxiety)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19113864
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 19113864.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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