The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing current disability. The claims for higher ratings for knee disabilities and for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability are remanded as there is insufficient examination documentation.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not provide sufficient information regarding range of motion, which is required by regulations for proper adjudication of the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right knee, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee, Acquired psychiatric disability, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19178157
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of April 5, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and denied earlier effective dates for erectile dysfunction, left ear hearing loss, migraines, and other conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for her acquired psychiatric disability, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.