The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is denied as there is no evidence of a hearing loss disability within the definition of 38 C.F.R. § 3.385 during service or within one year after separation.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right leg and left leg, to include as due to exposure to herbicidal agents, is denied because there is no evidence of early-onset peripheral neuropathy in service or within one year of last exposure to herbicides.,The Veteran's skin disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine if it had its onset during service and is related to herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of hearing loss disability during service or within the required time frame after separation, nor any significant threshold shift in service that would support consideration of service connection based on noise exposure.,The Veteran did not manifest symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in service or within one year of last exposure to herbicides. The VA examiner's opinion is sufficient to deny service connection under the presumptive exposure criteria.,There is no evidence of a skin disability during service, and the Veteran has not provided any other evidence linking his current diagnosis to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, peripheral neuropathy of the right leg, peripheral neuropathy of the left leg, skin disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20013624
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 20013624.
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 granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's skin disability is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his condition, including whether it is related to service or toxic exposure risk activities. The Veteran also needs to provide authorization forms for private treatment records.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disability were dismissed due to improper concurrent elections.,The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of back, sciatic nerve, right shoulder, foot, skin, left-hand, or right-hand disabilities. The claim for headaches was also denied.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, finding that there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to his active service.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.