The Veteran's claims for hearing loss and Meniere's disease are being remanded due to inadequate medical opinions in the May 2019 VA examinations. The Board requires a new examination from an ENT specialist to determine if these conditions are related to service, including noise exposure during combat.
The deciding factor: The previous VA examinations did not adequately address the Veteran's claims for hearing loss and Meniere's disease, particularly regarding the nature of his in-service noise exposure and its relation to his current conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss, Meniere's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2022
- Citation
- A22020893
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 A22020893.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to military noise exposure and there is no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and his current condition.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed all appeals for service connection and increased rating claims due to untimely Notice of Disagreement submissions.
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