The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The remaining issues of service connection for other conditions are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on the need for further examination and review of medical records to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed disabilities, particularly regarding hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, lower extremity nerve disorders, gastroesophageal disorder, rectal disorder, and PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity nerve disorder, right lower extremity nerve disorder, gastroesophageal disorder (GERD), rectal disorder (IBS and spastic colon), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20081346
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
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