The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral ear hearing loss disability warrants a higher initial rating, and whether his dizziness and balance issues are related to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were not adequate as they did not provide etiological opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current bilateral ear conditions and his service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral ear hearing loss, dizziness and loss of balance (including residuals of left ear otitis media, bilateral posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and displaced ear crystals)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21013405
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 21013405.
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 Board granted service connection for bilateral ear hearing loss, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his current condition was aggravated during active duty.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to a single service-connected disability was dismissed because the veteran withdrew the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral ear hearing loss, peripheral vestibular disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disability due to issues with the previous decisions and need for additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral ear hearing loss as there is no credible medical or lay evidence showing a diagnosis of a hearing loss disability for VA purposes.
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