The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further examination to determine their etiology.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is remanded for a VA examination to determine its relationship to his service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's hypertension and colon polyps are remanded due to the need for additional medical evidence regarding herbicide exposure.,The Veteran's GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, gall bladder removal, left foot disability, right foot disability, eye disability (diabetic retinopathy), and kidney stones are remanded for a VA examination to determine their relationship to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.
The deciding factor: The July 2015 VA examiner's opinion on the etiology of the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was inadequate due to reliance on normal hearing at separation from service.,The Veteran did not specify when he first experienced his tinnitus, requiring further examination to determine its onset.,The Board found that additional medical evidence is needed regarding the relationship between herbicide exposure and the Veteran's hypertension and colon polyps.,The Veteran has claimed secondary service connection for multiple conditions related to diabetes mellitus. The VA needs to gather more information on this.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, colon polyps, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, gall bladder removal, left foot disability, right foot disability, eye disability (diabetic retinopathy), kidney stones
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069834
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20069834.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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