The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is established for tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection is remanded for a left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, back disability, bilateral hearing loss, respiratory condition (asthma), gastrointestinal disability (GERD, hiatal hernia, and Barrett’s disease), prostate disability, and skin disability (chloracne).,The Veteran's service-connected PTSD may be related to his hypertension.,The Veteran's current prostate disability is remanded for a VA examination.
The deciding factor: New evidence received more than one year after the January 1977 rating decision raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for hypertension.,Tinnitus was observed during service and continues to this day, meeting all elements of service connection.,The Veteran's MOS as a supply specialist exposed him to noise and physical strain which may have contributed to his current shoulder disabilities. A VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.,The Veteran's MOS as an Air Controller Parachutist exposed him to high G-forces during parachute jumps, potentially causing his back disability. A VA examination is needed to determine if this condition is related to service.,The Veteran's STRs show complaints of back pain and a history of injury, warranting further investigation into the nature and etiology of his current back disability.,The Veteran was exposed to noise during service which may have contributed to his current hearing loss. A VA examination is needed to determine if this condition is related to service.,The Veteran's STRs show complaints of chest pain and a history of asthma, potentially related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. A VA examination is needed to determine if this condition is related to service.,The Veteran's gastrointestinal disabilities may be related to his herbicide agent exposure during service. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.,The Veteran's prostate disability may be related to his herbicide agent exposure during service. A VA examination is needed to determine if this condition is related to service.,The Veteran's skin disability may be related to his herbicide agent exposure during service. A VA examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, tinnitus, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, back disability, bilateral hearing loss, respiratory condition (asthma), gastrointestinal disability (GERD, hiatal hernia, and Barrett’s disease), prostate disability, skin disability (chloracne)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19115545
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (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 19115545.
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 Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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