The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for tension headaches, right hip replacement, left hip replacement, cervical strain, and lumbosacral strain are remanded.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam is remanded.
The deciding factor: The objective medical evidence shows that the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss was manifested by no more than Level I auditory acuity, bilaterally.,The preponderance of the evidence is against the assignment of a higher rating under the Schedule for Hearing Loss.,VA regulations provide that service connection is warranted for certain diseases as presumptively due to herbicide exposure. The appellant seeks to establish service connection based on exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tension headaches, right hip replacement, left hip replacement, cervical strain, lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20032041
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 20032041.
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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