The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinion and the need for additional development, including obtaining private medical records.
The deciding factor: The VA medical examiner's opinion was found inadequate as it did not consider a specific in-service treatment record that suggested an ear condition during service.
- Claimed conditions
- otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 31, 2020
- Citation
- 20081852
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 the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, otitis media, and a skin disability as there was no evidence to support that these conditions were related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, mood disorder with depressive and anxious features, benign growth of the spinal cord with spondylosis and anterolisthesis, residuals of right ankle sprain with traumatic arthritis, and otitis media, have rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a total disability based on individual unemployability, special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance, SMC based on housebound status, and service connection for vertigo.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a left foot condition and a right foot condition, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, otitis media, cervical spine condition, thoracolumbar spine condition, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition.
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