The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim remains in appellate status, with a noncompensable rating prior to August 5, 2015 and a 10 percent rating as of that date. The Board found no evidence warranting an increased rating.,Service connection for hypertension, chronic bilateral leg edema, and venous insufficiency is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to August 5, 2015. From that date onward, his hearing loss warranted only a 10 percent disability rating.,VA examinations were insufficient in determining whether the Veteran’s hypertension, chronic bilateral leg edema, and venous insufficiency are related to service or due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Hypertension, Chronic Bilateral Leg Edema, Venous Insufficiency
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19130942
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19130942.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- 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 Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
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