The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher evaluation and thus, the preponderance of the evidence is against his claim. For the issue of service connection for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), to include as due to exposure to Agent Orange, the Board remanded the case to attempt to verify whether the Veteran had service within 12 nautical miles of the Republic of Vietnam while stationed on the U.S.S. Zelima and U.S.S. Ranger.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a higher evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, thus the preponderance of the evidence is against his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2021
- Citation
- A21019255
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 A21019255.
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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