The Board has determined that additional development is needed to obtain the Veteran's service treatment records from his Marine Corps Reserve service and to provide an adequate opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss. The claim for muscle and joint pain and fatigue, including Lyme disease, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia, will also be remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there were gaps in the Veteran's service treatment records from his Marine Corps Reserve service and that an adequate opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss required consideration of the Veteran's reports of head trauma in service, lay contentions of difficulty hearing in service, prior to separation, and after separation, as well as medical literature.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Muscle and Joint Pain and Fatigue (including Lyme disease, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23048085
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 23048085.
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 Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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