The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and initial ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations, as well as for obtaining VA and private treatment records. The Veteran also needs a statement of the case issued regarding his migraine headaches and anxiety disorder claims.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that further evaluations by VA physicians are needed to determine the current severity of the service-connected cervical spine disability, upper extremity radiculopathy, and migraine headaches, as well as for an initial rating for anxiety disorder. Additionally, the Veteran needs a statement of the case issued regarding his claims for increased ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, cervical spine degenerative arthritis, right upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, left upper extremity cervical radiculopathy, migraine headaches, anxiety disorder, NOS
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20007826
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 20007826.
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'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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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