The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea due to a lack of medical opinion regarding their etiology. The Veteran is requested to provide information about any relevant private or VA treatment records since May 2019.
The deciding factor: The decision was not made on service connection, but rather the need for additional evidence to determine if there is a relationship between the conditions and military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2020
- Citation
- 20067178
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 Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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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.