The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and unspecified back condition due to incomplete National Guard records and insufficient VA examination. The AOJ is required to provide the Georgia National Guard with the date of the Veteran's discharge from his National Guard service, request that the Veteran's National Guard records be located, obtain additional Hearing Loss and Tinnitus VA examination reports, issue a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) considering these new evidence, and schedule a VA examination for the unspecified back condition.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient medical evidence to support the claims and required further development including obtaining National Guard records, scheduling an additional VA examination, and issuing a SSOC.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, unspecified back condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 5, 2023
- Citation
- 23021058
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 23021058.
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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