The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating.,The Veteran's service connection claims for ampullary carcinoma and right knee disability have been remanded due to inadequate opinions in previous VA examinations.,The Veteran's total disability due to individual unemployability claim is also remanded as it may be impacted by the above-mentioned issues.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show that the Veteran's hearing loss has worsened since his last evaluation, and therefore a higher rating is not warranted.,The VA examiner did not address the opinion of Dr. M., who indicated that the Veteran's ampullary carcinoma was related to exposure to Agent Orange or its constituent chemicals. The right knee disability claim also requires an examination considering service treatment records from 1993 and X-ray findings.,The TDIU claim is remanded as it may be impacted by the inadequate opinions in the previous VA examinations for ampullary carcinoma and right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, ampullary carcinoma, right knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21072355
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 21072355.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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.
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