The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his military service. The examiner was asked to provide an opinion on this matter.
The deciding factor: The examiner concluded that there was no objective evidence to support a claim of military-related noise injury, and thus the Veteran's hearing loss is less likely than not due to military noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20074677
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 Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to a lack of jurisdiction.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability as the evidence did not support a nexus between the disability and service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a heart disability, granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus and right knee osteochondritis dissecans, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear s/p ACL reconstruction, and denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder with generalized anxiety disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus to correct pre-decisional errors in fulfilling its duty to assist the appellant with the development of his claims.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.