The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and a right knee disability due to incomplete rationale in the VA examination reports.
The deciding factor: VA examiners failed to address all applicable theories of entitlement (caused by vs. aggravated by) and provided incomplete explanations regarding the onset and chronicity of the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ear hearing loss, Right ear hearing loss, Tinnitus, Right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065655
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.