The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining complete service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, right knee condition, right ankle sprain, left ankle sprain, right shoulder injury (including pain in the scapular area), right rib cage injury, and head injury are all remanded to obtain addendum opinions regarding their relationship to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examinations were inadequate due to incorrect recitations of facts and failed to consider the Veteran's lay statements. Therefore, additional examination is needed to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Right Knee Condition, Right Ankle Sprain, Left Ankle Sprain, Right Shoulder Injury (including pain in the scapular area), Right Rib Cage Injury, Head Injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20069193
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.