The Board has remanded the case to further develop evidence for a claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran asserts that his current hearing loss is due to noise exposure during service, but VA audiologists have noted inconsistencies in the separation examination results and concluded that the current hearing loss is more likely related to occupational and recreational sources.
The deciding factor: The Board found the VA opinions inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay assertions of continuous post-service symptoms and disregarded his competent and credible lay reports. The left ear hearing loss disability claim was remanded due to inconsistencies in the separation examination results and the need for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss disability, Left ear hearing loss disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 13, 2022
- Citation
- 22057636
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 22057636.
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 Board has granted service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability but denied service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability, finding that it is due to in-service hazardous noise exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability began during service and is therefore granted as service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is related to hazardous noise exposure in service, while his right ear hearing loss disability was not aggravated during service.
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