The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for a left ear injury and a respiratory disorder due to inadequate VA examinations in January 2021. The Veteran's STRs were unavailable, which may affect the outcome.
The deciding factor: VA examinations were not conducted properly as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements or take into account the unavailability of his STRs.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear injury, respiratory disorder (sinusitis)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21031202
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 21031202.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, diastolic dysfunction, and left ear injury are remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions and the need for additional evidence.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left ear injury because the evidence did not show that the Veteran had such an injury.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and left ear injury as there is no current diagnosis or treatment for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a left ear injury, to include hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking his current disability to service and that he did not have a compensable degree of hearing loss within one year of discharge.
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