The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and development to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, chronic cough, abdominal pain, varicocele scar, and appendix scar. The claims will be reviewed based on the new evidence obtained.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the current medical opinions are insufficient due to a lack of consideration of in-service noise exposure for hearing loss and probable asbestos exposure for chronic cough. Additionally, there is no VA examination addressing abdominal pain or surgical scars from varicocele and appendix surgeries.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, chronic cough, abdominal pain, scar, status post varicocele surgery, scar, status post appendix removal
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20002760
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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