The Veteran's back and hip disabilities are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded due to the November 2018 NAS report finding sufficient evidence of association with herbicide exposure.,A disability rating greater than 50 percent for PTSD is remanded.,,
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current disabilities are at least in equipoise with his service connection claims, and the benefit of doubt is resolved in favor of the Veteran.,The Veteran has been exposed to noise during service which caused hearing loss and tinnitus. The private opinion supports this finding.,There is sufficient evidence from the NAS report that finds a positive association between herbicide exposure and hypertension, warranting further examination.,PTSD can be aggravated by another condition such as PTSD itself, warranting further examination to determine if it has been aggravated beyond its natural progression.,,
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19142411
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 19142411.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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