The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection for arthritis of multiple joints, SMC based on need for aid and attendance, and eligibility for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation. The case is being returned to the AOJ for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence related to bilateral hearing loss that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, but remanded due to an omission in the VA examination regarding audiometric data at 3000 Hertz during service separation. The arthritis claim is also being remanded for additional development.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, arthritis of multiple joints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21013322
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 21013322.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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