The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss, eczema, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and alcohol use disorder) due to inadequate medical opinions and missing military personnel records.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations were insufficient in addressing the etiology of the claimed conditions and the service connection theory was not provided as a presumption or secondary condition.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, eczema, an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PSTD, depression, and alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23014077
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 23014077.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for service connection for asthma and a 10 percent rating based on multiple noncompensable service-connected disabilities were dismissed. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for eczema was denied, while the claim of entitlement to allergic rhinitis was not addressed as it pertained to different issues.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an initial noncompensable rating for eczema was granted, effective November 5, 2024. The effective date could not be earlier due to the lack of a prior formal or informal claim within one year of receipt of the Intent to File.
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