The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have right ear hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore denied service connection for this condition. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition (depression) and substance abuse are remanded due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The February 2016 VA examination did not reflect right ear auditory threshold in any of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hertz that were 40 decibels; or speech recognition scores using the Maryland CNC Test that are less than 94 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Acquired psychiatric condition (depression), Substance abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2020
- Citation
- 20055415
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20055415.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss and service connection for left ear hearing loss due to inadequate audiometric examinations. The Veteran will be scheduled for new VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his left ear hearing loss and the severity of his hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of hypertension and right ear hearing loss were denied. The Board has remanded these issues.,Service connection for hypertension was granted in June 2023 based on the PACT Act, but an earlier effective date is not warranted.
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