The Board remanded the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss because the July 2019 VA examination opinion was inadequate and did not comply with the May 2018 remand directives, specifically failing to discuss a referenced medical study and adequately address the significance of potential threshold shifts when examining congruent audiometric standards. The Board noted conflicting medical opinions and directed further development with a new addendum opinion to reconcile the findings.
The deciding factor: The examiner's opinion was found inadequate because it failed to discuss the November 11, 2009 medical study as instructed, did not properly address potential threshold shifts after converting between different audiometric measurement standards (ISO versus ANSI units), and did not reconcile conflicting medical opinions regarding causation.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20003741
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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