The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination and exposure verification. The Veteran is requested to provide updated VA treatment records, determine if his duties placed him near the base perimeter in Thailand, verify herbicide agent exposure, and obtain appropriate medical opinions regarding hypertension and erectile dysfunction.
The deciding factor: The Board found the July 2013 examinations insufficient for determining the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims are remanded to provide updated VA treatment records, determine if herbicide agent exposure occurred, and obtain appropriate medical opinions regarding hypertension and erectile dysfunction.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20045094
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 20045094.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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