The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes.,The Veteran's left shoulder sprain is rated at 20 percent and the appeal is remanded to determine if a higher rating is warranted based on additional evidence or considerations.,The Veteran's claims for acquired psychiatric disability, respiratory disability, and IBS are remanded as no VA examinations have been conducted yet. The examiner should assess whether these conditions are related to service.,The Veteran's claim for a respiratory disability due to service in Southwest Asia is remanded as no VA examination has been conducted yet. The examiner should assess whether this condition is related to service.,The Veteran's claim for IBS due to service in Southwest Asia is remanded as no VA examination has been conducted yet. The examiner should assess whether this condition is related to service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability for VA purposes, and the Veteran did not sustain such a disability during active duty.,The Veteran's left shoulder sprain does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as there is no objective evidence of an inability to lift his arm 25 degrees from his side or less due to functional impairment.,No VA examination has been conducted yet, and therefore it cannot be determined whether any acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD), respiratory disability, or IBS are related to service. Further evaluation is needed.,No VA examination has been conducted yet, and therefore it cannot be determined whether the Veteran's respiratory disability due to service in Southwest Asia is related to service. Further evaluation is needed.,No VA examination has been conducted yet, and therefore it cannot be determined whether the Veteran's IBS is related to service. Further evaluation is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Left Shoulder Sprain, Acquired Psychiatric Disability (to include PTSD), Respiratory Disability (due to service in Southwest Asia), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (due to service in Southwest Asia)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184666
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · 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 19184666.
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 has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board has readjudicated the claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, cervical spine disability, skin disability, and peripheral neuropathy of both upper extremities. The decision is mixed as some issues are granted while others are remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinion in the original decision. The issues are being remanded for further examination and consideration of new evidence.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right foot disability is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current condition.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are also denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have these conditions during service, nor can they be presumed to have developed within one year after separation from service.,The Veteran's claims for tinnitus were denied as there is no credible evidence of its onset in service or a relationship to noise exposure.
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