The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including COPD, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, gall bladder removal complications, inguinal hernia, left and right knee conditions, rotator cuff tears, and sleep apnea. The case must be returned to VA for further action.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional records from the Social Security Administration are needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, residuals of gall bladder removal, to include cholecystectomy with nausea, inguinal hernia, left knee condition, right knee condition, rotator cuff tear to the right shoulder, rotator cuff tear to the left shoulder, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003483
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20003483.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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