The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and depression, is remanded due to unverified stressors.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not demonstrate sustained improvement in the Veteran’s hearing loss that would warrant a reduction from his current 10 percent disability rating.,Service records do not confirm the Veteran's deployment to Somalia or his reported stressors of exposure to human suffering and gunfire. The claim for service connection is remanded due to unverified stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD and Depression)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20060103
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 20060103.
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.
- 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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