The Veteran's appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to October 1, 2015 and a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD are dismissed. The Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo is granted. The Veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 10 percent for hearing loss, service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome (left upper extremity), service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome (right upper extremity), and service connection for unspecified disability to account for joint pain of all joints are remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to withdrawal by the appellant. The claims for hearing loss, PTSD, and vertigo were granted based on current diagnoses and credible testimony. The claims for carpal tunnel syndrome and unspecified disability to account for joint pain of all joints require further examination and etiological opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, vertigo (claimed as dizziness), carpal tunnel syndrome, left upper extremity, carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity, unspecified disability to account for joint pain of all joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19125829
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 19125829.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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