The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and his period of active duty service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners did not provide sufficient explanation for their conclusions, particularly regarding the significance of 'normal' in-service hearing test results and the lack of permanent pure tone threshold shifts during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19133944
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (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 19133944.
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: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and denied an initial increased rating above 10 percent for tinnitus, to include on an extraschedular basis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of definitive studies on delayed onset hearing loss, and needs an addendum opinion from the December 2019 examiner.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to conflicting opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's neck condition and bilateral SNHL. The claims are being returned to the AOJ for additional analysis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in a prior VA examiner's opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The case is now being returned for an updated opinion that addresses this issue.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.