The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for high blood pressure has been remanded due to incomplete STRs and the need for private treatment records.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition, including cellulitis, boils and blisters, has been remanded due to inaccurate factual premises in the July 2015 VA examination and the need for an opinion on whether his skin condition is secondary to diabetes mellitus.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depression, has been remanded due to the July 2015 examiner's failure to consider the Veteran's contentions regarding combat-related nightmares and delayed treatment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 6100.,To receive a higher evaluation, the Veteran’s diabetes mellitus would need to require regulation of activities with the intention of avoiding hypoglycemic episodes. The evidence fails to demonstrate that the Veteran's activities were regulated for this purpose.,The Veteran has not provided private treatment records related to his hypertension and STRs are incomplete. Further examination is needed to obtain these records.,The July 2015 examiner’s opinion was based on inaccurate factual premises, including a lack of cellulitis in the claims file and an incorrect note that there were no episodes of ketoacidosis or hypoglycemia in the prior year. A new opinion is necessary.,The Veteran reported combat-related nightmares and depression for years after separation but did not seek treatment due to fear of losing his job. The July 2015 examiner failed to consider these contentions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus, High Blood Pressure, Skin Condition (including cellulitis, boils and blisters), Acquired Psychiatric Disability (including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depression)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19118079
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,614 · Granted: 35% (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 19118079.
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 bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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