The Veteran's claims for service connection for earaches and an increased rating for allergic rhinitis with chronic rhinosinusitis are being remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records, a VA examination, and medical opinions regarding her symptoms and diagnoses.
The deciding factor: The Board notes logistical difficulties in obtaining in-person examinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will obtain necessary information without an in-person examination if possible.
- Claimed conditions
- Earaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20078910
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 20078910.
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 has granted service connection for a disability manifested by earaches, finding that the osteomas resulting in ear pain are likely due to the use of hearing aids to treat his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the appeal due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to service. The issues of service connection for various disabilities are being reviewed.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ear infections and/or cholesteatoma, earaches, and a peripheral vestibular disorder (claimed as loss of balance and motion sickness), all secondary to residuals of his left tympanic membrane perforation.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss, earaches, back disorder, fatigue, memory loss, joint pain, nervousness and dreams, weakness, skin rashes, chest pain, blurred vision, neck stiffness, and sinus symptoms as manifestations of an undiagnosed illness.
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