The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a VA examination to assess his left ear symptoms and determine if they are related to service-connected tinnitus or in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board found that further evaluation is needed due to the possibility of functional impairment resulting from the Veteran's reported left ear symptoms, including crackling and fullness.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear condition, left ear damage
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21007310
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 21007310.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The issues include left ear hearing loss, cervical strain, fatigue and full body muscle pain (claimed as chronic fatigue syndrome), tinea pedis, onychomycosis and tinea corporis (claimed as full body rash and bilateral foot fungus), and bilateral vision loss.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for all claimed conditions as there was no evidence of a current disability.
- Granted
The Veteran's right ear condition with dizziness is granted service connection. The claims for left ear, heart, chest pain, prostate, stomach, neck, back, hip, ankle, and foot conditions are denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a left ear condition and granted a 20% rating for low back disability from September 1, 2010 to June 21, 2023. The ratings for radiculopathy of the lower extremities and sphincter impairment were also denied.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
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.