The Board has denied service connection for a right shoulder condition, neck condition, and right upper extremity neuropathy. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded as the Veteran did not undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.,Service connection is also denied for left and right knee conditions due to lack of a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no current diagnosis of a right shoulder condition or neck condition, and thus the Veteran did not have a disability at any point during the pendency of his claims. The claim for service connection for right upper extremity neuropathy was denied as there was no evidence of early onset peripheral neuropathy within one year of discharge from service.,The Board also found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were less likely than not related to service, but an additional VA examination is needed to address whether delayed onset hearing loss or tinnitus could be present. The claims for left and right knee conditions are remanded as no VA examiner has provided a medical nexus opinion regarding these conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Knee Condition, Neck Condition, Right Knee Condition, Right Shoulder Condition, Right Upper Extremity Neuropathy, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19139605
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,680 · Granted: 24% (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 19139605.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
- 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 Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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