The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and gastrointestinal disorder have been remanded due to new evidence received since the final October 2014 rating decision. The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection under the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Act.
The deciding factor: The January 2017 VA examination report concluded that the Veteran's ulcerative colitis/proctitis is less likely than not caused by exposure to toxins related to his service in Southwest Asia, and the examiner provided a detailed rationale for this conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, gastrointestinal disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2022
- Citation
- 22037318
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 22037318.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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