The Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability have been assigned the maximum schedular ratings available, with no legal basis for higher ratings. The Board has also identified additional VA examinations are needed to clarify the nature of his claimed lower respiratory and upper respiratory disabilities.,The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral leg pain, an upper respiratory disability, and a lower respiratory disability (to include asbestosis). Additional VA examinations are necessary to determine if these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no legal basis for the assignment of higher ratings for tinnitus or bilateral hearing loss disability due to the maximum schedular ratings already assigned.,Additional VA examinations are needed to clarify whether the Veteran's claimed lower respiratory and upper respiratory disabilities are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Tinnitus, Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Bilateral Leg Pain, Upper Respiratory Disability, Lower Respiratory Disability (to include asbestosis)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19118981
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19118981.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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