The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as zero percent disabling. The Board has determined that the July 2017 VA examination may not be representative of his current hearing levels, and he now requires hearing aids without them. The Board also notes that his speech recognition scores from a March 2017 private audiogram are significantly different from those at the July 2017 VA examination. Therefore, the case is being remanded to obtain updated evidence and conduct another examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current hearing levels may not be accurately represented by the results of his July 2017 VA examination due to his need for hearing aids without them, and his speech recognition scores from a March 2017 private audiogram are significantly different from those at the July 2017 VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 9, 2020
- Citation
- 20072279
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,164 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20072279.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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.
- 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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