The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to re-open the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The claims of service connection for hypertension, right knee disability, and left knee disability are remanded due to incomplete development.
The deciding factor: Incomplete documentation and examination regarding the onset and etiology of the Veteran’s hypertension, as well as his right and left knee disabilities, which may be related to a service-connected condition (left heel calcaneal bone spur).
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"condition_name":"Hypertension","secondary_to":"Service-Connected Diabetes Mellitus, Type II"}, {"condition_name":"Right Knee Disability","secondary_to":"Service-Connected Left Heel Calcaneal Bone Spur"}, {"condition_name":"Left Knee Disability","secondary_to":"Service-Connected Left Heel Calcaneal Bone Spur"}
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 19, 2019
- Citation
- 19187146
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 service connection for sarcoidosis as new and relevant evidence has been received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left-hand condition is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection for mononeuropathy to the left hand fourth finger with parasthesia of skin in an October 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding their etiology.
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