The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability prior to October 5, 2016 was denied.,The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability from October 5, 2016 to December 3, 2018 and thereafter was denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for respiratory conditions was remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.,
The deciding factor: The evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability prior to October 5, 2016.,The evidence did not meet the criteria for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss disability from October 5, 2016 to December 3, 2018 and thereafter.,The VA medical opinion was inadequate as it was provided by a family practice physician instead of a pulmonologist. The remand requires an updated opinion from a pulmonologist regarding the relationship between respiratory conditions and in-service asbestos exposure.,
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, respiratory conditions
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19131304
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,104 · Granted: 28% (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 19131304.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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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