The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the VA examiner not addressing the potential inadequacies of the November 1968 separation service examination 'whisper test'. The hypertension case is also being remanded as the February 2021 VA examination did not include an etiology opinion regarding whether or not the Veteran's hypertension and service, including any in-service elevated blood pressure readings, combat related stress, and herbicide exposure therein, are related.,The TDIU claim prior to September 23, 2020 is being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with other claims that have been remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner did not address the potential inadequacies of the November 1968 separation service examination 'whisper test' and thus, the case must be remanded for an additional VA examination to determine the etiology of the claimed bilateral hearing loss disability.,The February 2021 VA examination did not include an etiology opinion regarding whether or not the Veteran's hypertension and service, including any in-service elevated blood pressure readings, combat related stress, and herbicide exposure therein, are related. The case must be remanded for a new VA examination to address these issues.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22005083
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 22005083.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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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