The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, and his right knee disorder is granted. The left shoulder acromioclavicular sprain with impingement syndrome and PTSD are both remanded for further review.,An effective date earlier than August 11, 2015, cannot be established for the increased ratings of left shoulder acromioclavicular sprain with impingement syndrome and PTSD.
The deciding factor: The evidence submitted in conjunction with the reopened claim for bilateral hearing loss is sufficient to reopen the claim. The Veteran's right knee disorder was presumed service-connected due to its onset within a year of separation from service.,For left shoulder acromioclavicular sprain, there is no indication that his symptoms were present before service and the increase in rating occurred more than one year prior to the date he filed his claim. For PTSD, the evidence does not show an increase in rating prior to August 11, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Shoulder Acromioclavicular Sprain with Impingement Syndrome, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Right Knee Disorder (Degenerative Changes and Status Post ACL Repair with Bone Tendon Bone Allograft and Partial Medial Meniscectomy)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19153083
Veterans Law Judge
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 19153083.
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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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