The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss had its onset during service or is otherwise due to in-service noise exposure, including from working around helicopters and artillery. Additionally, the examiner should determine if the Veteran's hearing loss manifested to a compensable degree within one year of his separation from active service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA medical opinions were inadequate and remanded for an addendum opinion addressing the onset and manifestation of the Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 25, 2023
- Citation
- 23047199
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 23047199.
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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