The Board has denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the Veteran's current condition is not related to his in-service injury. The hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy claims are remanded due to inadequate VA examination.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding its onset during active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current low back disorder did not manifest within a year of service and was not shown to be chronic in service. The VA examiner opined that any current condition is less likely related to his presumed in-service injury.,The June 2019 VA examination for hearing loss was inadequate, as it failed to address the Veteran's contention that his hearing loss began after an in-service mine accident.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Low Back Disorder, Peripheral Neuropathy of Lower Extremities (secondary to diabetes mellitus), Peripheral Neuropathy of Upper Extremities (secondary to diabetes mellitus)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19190808
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 19190808.
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 Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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