The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, and left ankle disorder are remanded due to inadequate examinations and lack of consideration of the Veteran's lay statements regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examinations were inadequate as they did not address the Veteran’s lay contentions regarding the onset and continuity of his symptoms, nor considered his assertions of in-service noise exposure and injuries.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20010065
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 20010065.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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.
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