The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate medical evidence and because of the need to determine if the USS Tolovana was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam while he served aboard. The hearing loss claim is also being remanded for a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there are insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and that further development, including an addendum opinion from a VA audiologist or ENT physician, is needed to resolve this issue. The DM II claim is being remanded due to the need for clarification on whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during service.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, type II diabetes mellitus (DM II), bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20030007
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 20030007.
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.
- 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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