The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for left knee joint osteoarthritis has been granted.,The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a neck disability, bilateral hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is being remanded.,Service connection for left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The effective date of the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss cannot be earlier than October 1, 2015 as it was received by VA on that date.,Left knee joint osteoarthritis is considered to have been aggravated during service and thus service connection can be granted.,Further examination and opinion are needed regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's neck disability, bilateral hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy in the upper and lower extremities.,A new evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is required to determine its current severity.,Examination and opinion are also needed to determine if the Veteran's peripheral neuropathies are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, left knee joint osteoarthritis, neck disability, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19178125
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 withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection to left knee joint osteoarthritis as secondary to lumbosacral strain and spinal stenosis, and right lower extremity radiculopathy due to an inadequate VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various disabilities to the AOJ for further development and consideration of evidence not previously considered.
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