The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is remanded for a new VA examination to determine if it is related to service, specifically the conceded in-service noise exposure.,The Veteran's low back condition, left hip condition, and left knee condition are remanded for new VA examinations to determine if they are related to service, specifically the conceded in-service helicopter hard crash landing.,The Veteran's cholecystitis (gallbladder condition) and GERD are remanded for new VA opinions on a direct basis to determine if they are related to service, specifically the conceded in-service exposure to herbicide agents.
The deciding factor: Further development of medical evidence is necessary before adjudicating these claims due to inadequate previous examinations that did not consider the conceded in-service events and provided insufficient rationale for their conclusions.,Further development of medical evidence is necessary before adjudicating these claims due to inadequate previous VA opinions that did not provide an opinion on a direct basis as instructed.,Further development of medical evidence is necessary before adjudicating these claims due to inadequate previous VA examinations that did not consider the conceded in-service events and provided insufficient rationale for their conclusions.
- Claimed conditions
- right ear hearing loss, low back condition, left hip condition, left knee condition, cholecystitis (gallbladder condition), GERD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176473
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 appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including a head injury, headache disorder, erectile dysfunction, left earache disorder, chronic fatigue, right shoulder disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, right foot disorder, GERD, and left shoulder disorder, as the evidence did not support current diagnoses of these conditions.
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