The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for asthma, entitlement to service connection for malaria, entitlement to service connection for bilateral tinnitus, entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), entitlement to an initial compensable rating of bilateral hearing loss, and entitlement to a total rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities. The remand is due to the failure to comply with the duty to assist in obtaining relevant records.
The deciding factor: The Board found that VA did not make reasonable efforts to obtain relevant records as required by law, and thus remanded for compliance with the duty to assist.
- Claimed conditions
- asthma, malaria, bilateral tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19173866
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 19173866.
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.
- 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.
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