The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, hypertension, and a cardiac disability must be remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran is presumed to have been exposed to noise during service, but there are insufficient records of asbestos exposure in his military history. Further development is needed to verify these exposures.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA examination report was inadequate and did not address the Veteran's reported onset of hearing loss. Additionally, there were no attempts made to verify the Veteran's alleged exposure to asbestos based on his service locations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, hypertension, cardiac disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2021
- Citation
- A21016565
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A21016565.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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 service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
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