The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, and an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected psychiatric disabilities. The AOJ must obtain all relevant records, ensure that the Veteran's VR&E file is associated with the claims file, schedule appropriate VA examinations to assess the nature and etiology of the claimed conditions, and readjudicate the issues.
The deciding factor: The Board found that additional evidence was needed to fully consider the Veteran's service connection claims due to incomplete records and uncompleted VA examination requests. The AOJ must ensure all relevant records are obtained and associated with the file, schedule appropriate examinations, and then readjudicate the issues based on the new evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2023
- Citation
- 23022498
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 23022498.
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 Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- 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.
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