The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence in the record. The VA is required to obtain private treatment records from the Center for Primary Care in Augusta, Georgia, associated with the Veteran's 2005 left knee arthroplasty surgery. A VA examination must be conducted to determine if the Veteran’s current left knee disability was proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected right knee disability and whether his hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his in-service acoustic trauma.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence in the record to decide the claims, including private treatment records from the Veteran's 2005 left knee arthroplasty surgery and VA examinations for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The VA has a duty to assist the Veteran by obtaining these records and conducting further evaluations.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19164140
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19164140.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.