The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board finds further development is needed before the psychiatric issues can be decided.,Service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include panic disorder with agoraphobia, is remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hearing loss disability has not worsened since his last VA examination. The new records do not provide additional information that would support a higher rating.,There are insufficient service treatment records and other medical records to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions are related to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, to include Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21004572
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 21004572.
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 Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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