The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for tinnitus has been withdrawn.,The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for cervical spine disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depressive disorder, chronic anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), type II diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for low back disability is also being remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus during the August 2021 Board hearing.,There are outstanding VA treatment records that have not been associated with the record. The Veteran reported having continued and current treatment at Kernersville VAMC, but the most recent VA treatment records are from 2019 and earlier. Private treatment records should also be obtained on remand.,VA treating providers in June 2015 and May 2016 have noted the Veteran's psychiatric conditions as secondary to his medical conditions causing pain, including his service-connected low back disability. The Veteran reported that he had been drinking heavily in service and was an alcoholic when he got out of service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, cervical spine disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depressive disorder, chronic anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)), type II diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, bilateral hearing loss, low back disability
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 2, 2022
- Citation
- 22005462
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 22005462.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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