The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and non-VA treatment records regarding the Veteran's hearing loss. The Veteran is to be scheduled for an audiological medical opinion that addresses whether any preexisting hearing loss existed prior to service and if it increased in severity during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the etiology of the Veteran’s hearing loss remains unresolved, as the January 2018 VA examination did not provide a clear and unmistakable opinion regarding the preexistence and aggravation of the condition. The remand is necessary to ensure compliance with the instructions in the May 2017 Board remand.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Pes Planus, Bilateral Plantar Fasciitis, Bilateral Tibial Tendonitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2019
- Citation
- 19141643
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,812 · Granted: 30% (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 19141643.
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.
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