The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for various disabilities, including hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as other conditions such as low back disability, hip, ankle, knee, foot disabilities, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, and an acquired psychiatric condition. The remand requires obtaining VA treatment records, conducting examinations to determine the etiology of these conditions, and providing opinions on their relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current examination reports are inadequate as they do not address the Veteran's contentions regarding in-service noise exposure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Additionally, there were no efforts made to obtain VA treatment records from San Juan VA medical center.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, low back disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, right ankle disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, left foot disability, right foot disability, hypertensive cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy of the left upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the right upper extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the left lower extremity, diabetic neuropathy of the right lower extremity, acquired psychiatric condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19154609
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 19154609.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- 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.
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