The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied on the merits by a final August 1995 Board decision. The Veteran attempted to reopen his claim multiple times, but all attempts were denied. New evidence received since January 2007 suggests that the Veteran may have preexisting bilateral hearing loss that is not aggravated beyond its natural progression by service. The case is remanded for further development and an opinion on whether the Veteran's hearing loss was aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The new evidence does not provide a clear determination of whether the Veteran's hearing loss was aggravated during service, necessitating further examination to determine if there is any increase in severity due to its natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180402
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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