The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a head injury with residual chronic headaches is granted. The claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss, thoracolumbar spine disorder, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, traumatic brain injury with residual headaches, and right knee disability are all remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current disabilities do not meet VA standards for a hearing loss disability or any of the other conditions listed. The claims were remanded as there was insufficient evidence on record regarding the nature and etiology of his thoracolumbar spine disorder, sinusitis/rhinitis, traumatic brain injury with residual headaches, right knee disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae, hemorrhoids, or entitlement to a clothing allowance.
- Claimed conditions
- headache, right ear hearing loss, thoracolumbar spine disorder, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, traumatic brain injury with residual headaches, right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19125515
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 631 · Granted: 21% (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 19125515.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of right ear hearing loss, and the case is dismissed.
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