The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is set at October 23, 2017.,The Board found that there is no legal basis to award service connection for bilateral hearing loss prior to the date of receipt of the claim on October 23, 2017. The earlier effective date claim was denied as without legal merit.,Service connection for hiatal hernia disability, indigestion disability (to include as due to claimed hiatal hernia), and swallowing disability are remanded pending additional development.
The deciding factor: The criteria for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss have not been met.,There is no legal basis to award service connection for bilateral hearing loss prior to the date of receipt of the claim on October 23, 2017.,Service connection for hiatal hernia disability, indigestion disability (to include as due to claimed hiatal hernia), and swallowing disability are remanded pending additional development.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hiatal hernia, indigestion disability, swallowing disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 13, 2020
- Citation
- 20012109
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20012109.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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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