The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable. The case is remanded for additional development.,Service connection for a pulmonary disability and sleep apnea are both remanded due to incomplete development of the claims.,Service connection for sleep apnea, which may be secondary to service-connected PTSD, is also remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss disability has not worsened to warrant a compensable rating based on current audiometric test results and VA examination findings.,VA examinations were conducted but did not fully address the Veteran’s lay contentions regarding his pulmonary disability and sleep apnea, including secondary service connection claims. Additionally, outstanding SSA records are needed for consideration.,The VA examiner failed to provide a comprehensive opinion addressing whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is caused by or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Pulmonary Disability (to include as due to service in Southwest Asia), Sleep Apnea (to include as due to service-connected disabilities)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20042382
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 20042382.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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