The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ear pain due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether his current diagnosed bilateral ear disability is related to service, and if so, whether it is aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not provide an opinion as to whether the Veteran’s current diagnosed bilateral ear disability (other than bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) is related to service or whether it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ear pain, ear pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19157005
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 19157005.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, lumbosacral strain, and hypertension, but denied service connection for tinnitus.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to August 10, 2022 and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of service connection for a disability manifesting in ear pain for further development, including a new VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial compensable rating and TDIU due to service-connected bilateral hearing loss, as well as a separate disability characterized by ear pain associated with the hearing loss.
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