The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a heart disability and bilateral tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the disabilities preexisted service or are related to service. A VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's current heart murmur clearly and unmistakably preexisted service, and if so, whether it was caused or aggravated by service. For tinnitus, a VA examination is also needed to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to her period of active duty, including exposure to gunfire on the rifle range during basic training.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's current heart disability and bilateral tinnitus, necessitating further examination to establish whether they are service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- heart disability, bilateral tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184876
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 19184876.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for left toe amputation, triple bypass surgery, blockage in legs, and bilateral tinnitus due to procedural errors and the need for additional medical opinions regarding potential exposure to toxins during service.
- Granted
The Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder.,The Veteran's bilateral tinnitus is granted based on in-service noise exposure and current diagnosis.,The Veteran's Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is granted due to presumptive service connection for exposure at Fort McClellan, Alabama.,The Veteran's status post total shoulder replacement, to include degenerative arthritis, is granted as incurred in service.,The Veteran's scar, residual right shoulder surgery, is granted as it is related to his now service-connected status post total shoulder replacement.
- Granted
The Veteran's hypertension was granted service connection effective August 10, 2022. The heart disability was granted secondary to the hypertension.,An initial rating of 30% for the heart disability was granted in May 2023 and increased to 60% since October 22, 2024.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and normocytic anemia as secondary to service-connected chronic hemorrhoids. The claim of entitlement to service connection for left inguinal hernia is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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