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
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a heart disability as the evidence did not support that it began during active service or was related to an in-service injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for insomnia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for the service-connected heart disability to correct an error by the AOJ in not informing the Veteran of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeal for service connection for bilateral tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, resulting in their dismissal.
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