The Board has remanded the case for further development due to conflicting evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current left ear hearing loss is related to his military service. The right ear hearing loss issue remains pending and will be addressed in a separate decision.
The deciding factor: The Court found that the June 2016 VA medical opinion was inadequate, as it relied on an outdated IOM report without considering its contradictory aspects regarding delayed onset hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Left Ear Hearing Loss, Right Ear Hearing Loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19186019
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 remands the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to an unclear employment history and a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for a 20 percent rating for lumbosacral strain.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a compensable rating of left ear hearing loss to obtain missing VA audiometric data.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, except for remanding certain service connection claims.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.