The Veteran is seeking service connection for hearing loss due to acoustic trauma in service, and an initial rating greater than 10 percent for his anterior trunk scar associated with residuals of gallbladder removal surgery.,The Board has determined that another opinion is necessary regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and military noise exposure. The VA examiner will be asked to address whether the threshold shifts during service constitute hearing loss or are related to the Veteran's current condition.
The deciding factor: The absence of service treatment records showing in-service evidence of acoustic trauma is not fatal to the Veteran's claim for service connection, and it assumes that the Veteran is credible with regard to his lay testimony concerning the nature and etiology of his hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of gallbladder removal, hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 28, 2022
- Citation
- 22037141
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 22037141.
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 Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. However, it was determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus for VA purposes, thus denying both claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for residuals of gallbladder removal and remanded the other claims due to insufficient evidence.
- Denied
The Veteran's tinnitus and hearing loss claims are denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's high cholesterol, dementia, stroke, prostate cancer, cataracts, diabetes, hypertension, CHF, and myocardial infarction claims are denied due to lack of service connection evidence or insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the disabilities and active duty service.,The Veteran was exposed to toxins during his military service but there is no evidence linking these exposures to any of the claimed conditions.
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