The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability for VA purposes.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for her lumbar spine disability is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinion regarding functional impairment and whether ankylosis exists.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disability is remanded as the examiner’s opinion was inadequate, requiring further consideration of the Veteran's lay statements.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic fatigue is remanded due to the need for a more thoroughly reasoned opinion addressing whether her fatigue is caused by or aggravated by her service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of a current hearing loss disability for VA purposes, as defined in 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.,The Veteran's lumbar spine disability does not meet the criteria for ankylosis or equivalent symptoms thereof, warranting only a 40 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine.,The examiner’s opinion was inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding her skin conditions since active service.,The Veteran's fatigue is a separate condition or symptom of her already service-connected adjustment disorder with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Further examination is needed to determine if the fatigue is caused by or aggravated by any service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lumbar strain with multilevel degenerative disc disease and left sacroiliitis (lumbar spine disability), skin disability, chronic fatigue
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 27, 2021
- Citation
- 21025358
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 21025358.
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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