The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and anxiety disorder were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities. The Veteran's service treatment records showed normal audiogram readings, and his VA examination did not find any hearing disability or psychiatric condition.,For the herniated disc pulposa with degeneration, thoracolumbar spine, the Veteran was granted service connection but a higher initial rating of 10 percent is denied as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and anxiety disorder were not found to be present at the time of the claims. The VA examination did not find any current disability for these conditions.,For the herniated disc pulposa with degeneration, thoracolumbar spine, the Veteran was granted service connection but a higher initial rating is denied as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19162525
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 19162525.
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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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