The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. High cholesterol and psychiatric disorders are denied. The remaining claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the Veteran has established his entitlement to service connection for his bilateral hearing loss, but denies high cholesterol and psychiatric disorders based on lack of a current disability. The remaining claims require further examination to determine if any diagnosed conditions are related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia), Lumbar Spine Disability (Multilevel Lumbar Spondylosis and Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD)), Cervical Spine Disability, Right Shoulder Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Left Shoulder Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Right Elbow Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Left Elbow Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Right Wrist Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Left Wrist Disability, to include as secondary to a Cervical Spine Disability, Right Hip Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Left Hip Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Right Knee Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Left Knee Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Right Ankle Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Left Ankle Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Right Foot Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Left Foot Disability, to include as secondary to a Lumbar Spine Disability, Psychiatric Disorder (Anxiety, Memory Loss, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD))
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 11, 2022
- Citation
- A22020521
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 A22020521.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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