The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of diabetes mellitus type II with voiding dysfunction remains pending and requires further examination or opinion to determine if he meets the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including MDD and PTSD, secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, is remanded.
The deciding factor: The audiometric evaluations do not show hearing loss severe enough to warrant a compensable rating. The Veteran has only been afforded partial compliance with previous remand directives.,There are no updated VA examinations or opinions addressing the Veteran's claims for increased diabetes and psychiatric disorders, necessitating further examination or opinion.,The February 2019 VA examiner did not consider the Veteran's reports of in-service injury and did not provide an opinion on secondary service connection. The claim requires additional analysis.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus Type II with voiding dysfunction, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (MDD and PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20048722
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 20048722.
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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