The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was denied, and the case is remanded.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for status post laminectomy, lumbosacral spine and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity associated with status post laminectomy, lumbosacral spine are remanded.,The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide sufficient information regarding the severity and functional loss due to flare-ups or repetitive use of the Veteran’s lumbar spine disability, necessitating further examination.,The Veteran reported worsening symptoms since his last VA clinic appointment, indicating a need for another VA examination to assess current disability levels.,The TDIU claim is inextricably intertwined with the other issues on appeal and requires additional development before appellate consideration.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Status Post Laminectomy, Lumbosacral Spine, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19117450
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 19117450.
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 service-connected conditions, including persistent depressive disorder, migraines, tinnitus, and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational history.
- Granted
Service connection for PTSD is granted, effective May 22, 2023.,Effective May 22, 2023, service connection for right total hip replacement and related conditions are granted.,An earlier effective date of May 22, 2023, but no earlier, is granted for the grant of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.,Effective May 22, 2023, service connection for recurrent tinnitus is granted.,Effective May 22, 2023, service connection for degenerative disc disease of the thoracolumbar spine with degenerative arthritis and spinal stenosis is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's hearing loss disability is granted as service-connected, with no specific date provided.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeals for discontinuance of TDIU, reduction of disability rating for acquired psychiatric disorder, and reduction of disability rating for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity due to lack of response from the Veteran within the required timeframe.
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