The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new vocational rehabilitation evaluation to consider his current service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to pursue a nursing degree.
The deciding factor: The Veteran has multiple service-connected conditions that may affect his ability to perform in both his current occupational field and the proposed career of pursuing a nursing degree.
- Claimed conditions
- left upper extremity cubital and carpal tunnel syndrome, right upper extremity cubital and carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, bilateral tinnitus, left hip strain and labral tear status post arthroscopic surgery with limitation of extension, right hip strain and labral tear status post arthroscopic surgery with limitation of extension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome, left lower extremity femoral radiculopathy associated with thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, cervical spine degenerative disc disease, right knee strain, left knee strain, bilateral hearing loss, right hip strain and labral tear status post arthroscopic surgery with limitation of flexion, left hip strain and labral tear status post arthroscopic surgery with limitation of flexion, right hip strain and labral tear status post arthroscopic surgery with limitation in internal rotation, scars bilateral hips as a residual of arthroscopic surgery, right knee scar, status post meniscectomy, left knee residual scar, status post chondroplasty associated with left knee strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19181279
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19181279.
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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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