The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that would support a grant of service connection. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to his military service.,Service connection for degenerative disc disease of the neck and back was remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the onset and etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no evidence linking the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus to his military service, as it did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection. The VA examiner opined against a relationship between the disabilities and service.,The remand was ordered due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's degenerative disc disease of the neck and back pre-existed service or were aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Neck, Degenerative Disc Disease of the Back (previously characterized as spondylolysis L-5 on S-1)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2021
- Citation
- A21019181
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 A21019181.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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