The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn for the issue of entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus.,The claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was reopened due to new and material evidence, but a higher rating is still denied.,An effective date earlier than July 8, 2014 for the grant of service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is denied.,A TDIU is granted from June 3, 2019 onwards, but not prior to that date.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his cervical spine disability remains in appellate status.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew the appeal of the initial rating for tinnitus.,New evidence was received which raised a reasonable probability of substantiating the service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss, but it is still denied.,The effective date cannot be earlier than July 8, 2014 as no such claim was filed prior to that date.,A TDIU is granted from June 3, 2019 onwards due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities preventing him from working.,The cervical spine disability remains in appellate status.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, left shoulder impingement syndrome, right knee disability, degenerative changes of the left ankle
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20071772
Veterans Law Judge
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 20071772.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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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