The appeal for SMC for the loss of use of a creative organ is dismissed.,Issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.,Service connection for tinnitus is remanded as it may be related to his hearing loss, which has not been addressed yet.,Service connection for a heart condition, presumed secondary to herbicide agent exposure (gulf war), is remanded. Additional VA treatment records are needed.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded due to the possibility of current psychiatric disability.,The rating for neurodermatitis is remanded as there may be changes in medication use.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for SMC for loss of use of a creative organ at the hearing, thus no further action is needed on this issue.,New evidence submitted by the Veteran suggests that his tinnitus and hearing loss are related. Therefore, these issues need to be addressed again.,Service connection for tinnitus may be granted if it is found to be related to his hearing loss.,The heart condition may be secondary to herbicide agent exposure (gulf war). Additional VA treatment records are needed to determine this.,There is a possibility of current psychiatric disability, thus service connection needs to be re-evaluated.,Changes in medication use for the neurodermatitis could affect its severity rating.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, heart condition (including as secondary to herbicide agent exposure), acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19143348
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,797 · Granted: 20% (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 19143348.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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