The Veteran's claims for right upper extremity, left upper extremity, right lower extremity, and left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, as well as tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, are denied effective date prior to March 1, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with depressive disorder, NOS and alcohol abuse in partial remission is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for chloracne with icepick scars not disabling is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus type II is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.,The Veteran's claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance prior to March 1, 2016 is remanded due to the need to determine the date of application that led to the ABCMR’s February 2016 decision to grant his request for a change in the character of his discharge.
The deciding factor: The effective dates for service connection are determined by the date of the claim or one year prior if the increase occurred more than one year prior.
- Claimed conditions
- right upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, left upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160646
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19160646.
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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