The Board has remanded the claims for tinea pedis, allergic rhinosinusitis, back disorder, bilateral leg disorder, benign prostatic hypertrophy, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin disorder (including a rash on the legs and buttocks), and hypertension due to incomplete VA treatment records and inadequate medical opinions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that relevant VA treatment records may not have been associated with the claims file, leading to an error in ensuring VA satisfied its duty to assist. Additionally, the September 2018 VA medical opinion regarding hypertension was deemed inadequate for rating purposes due to a lack of consideration of whether service-connected PTSD aggravated the Veteran's diagnosed hypertension. The August 2012 VA medical opinion regarding tinnitus was also deemed inadequate as it did not address whether tinnitus was caused by in-service noise exposure and its relationship to significant hearing shifts during service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinea pedis, allergic rhinosinusitis, back disorder, bilateral leg disorder, benign prostatic hypertrophy, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin disorder (including a rash on the legs and buttocks), hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2022
- Citation
- 22049593
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 22049593.
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 Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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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