The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and otitis externa due to inadequate medical examination reports. The VA is required to obtain adequate examinations and opinions that address the etiology of the Veteran’s conditions, including his lay statements, in-service threshold shifts, and history of treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board found deficiencies in the prior VA audiology examination and medical opinions, which were based on inadequate factual premises regarding the Veteran's service history and current condition.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, otitis externa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20026833
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 20026833.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to errors in providing notice of his right to a pre-decisional hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
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