The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the Veteran’s claims for gastrointestinal disability and headaches can be decided, as VA did not substantially comply with the December 2017 Board remand.,The Veteran's hearing loss of the right ear claim was denied because there is no evidence of current disability in accordance to VA standards.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to establish a current diagnosis of hearing loss of the right ear in accordance with VA standards.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss of the right ear, Gastrointestinal disability (claimed as melena or bowel movements), Headaches, to include as secondary to service-connected tinnitus and/or as a result of service in the Persian Gulf
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20004101
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,726 · Granted: 19% (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 20004101.
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 has found that a remand is necessary due to the Veteran's assertion of worsening hearing loss. The case will be returned for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining any outstanding medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate nexus opinion regarding the Veteran's hearing loss of the right ear, which may still be related to service despite no hearing loss at separation.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for degenerative joint disease of the SI joint is remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss of both ears as there was no evidence of a current disability in accordance with VA standards.
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