The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted from July 17, 2013. The service connection for bilateral hearing loss claim is remanded due to insufficient rationale in the VA opinions.
The deciding factor: VA examiners provided conflicting information regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss and failed to consider the effect of diabetes mellitus on his hearing condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Dysthymic Disorder with Sleep Disorder, Diabetes Mellitus with Hypertension, Left Lower Extremity Neuropathy, Right Lower Extremity Neuropathy, Left Upper Extremity Neuropathy, Right Upper Extremity Neuropathy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2021
- Citation
- 21066263
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 21066263.
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.
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- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD symptoms did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent.,Service connection was granted for bilateral pes planus on an aggravation of pre-service disability.,Service connection was granted for tinnitus.,Service connection was denied for left ankle, right ankle, and right knee disabilities.,Service connection was denied for left upper extremity and right upper extremity neuropathy.,The Veteran's pancreatitis claim is remanded.,Service connection was denied for left knee disability, left lower extremity neuropathy, and right lower extremity neuropathy.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to new and relevant evidence having been received since a previous denial.
- Denied
The Board denied entitlement to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, as well as a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.
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