The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate VA examination opinions and incomplete medical records. The issues of bilateral hearing loss, deviated septum, sleep apnea, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right hip disability, neck disability, and low back disability are all being reviewed.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA examiners' opinions to be inadequate for decision-making purposes due to internal inconsistencies in their conclusions regarding the Veteran's disabilities and their relationship to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Deviated Septum, Sleep Apnea, Right Shoulder Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Hip Disability, Neck Disability, Low Back Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20010158
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 20010158.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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