The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to the lack of a sufficient rationale in the October 2016 VA examination regarding potential noise exposure during his military service as a communications specialist.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is remanded due to the absence of an opinion addressing herbicide agent exposure and situational stress or anxiety exacerbating his GERD.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety, is remanded as there is insufficient evidence linking it to military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examination opinions were inadequate due to the lack of a sufficient rationale regarding potential noise exposure during service and herbicide agent exposure.,The October 2016 examiner failed to address how the Veteran's MOS as a communications specialist may have exposed him to acoustic trauma, relying solely on the absence of complaints in his service treatment records.,The VA examination opinions were inadequate due to the lack of an opinion addressing herbicide agent exposure and situational stress or anxiety exacerbating GERD.,The October 2016 examiner failed to address how military service may have caused or aggravated the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically anxiety.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), anxiety
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20034474
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 20034474.
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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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