The Board has determined that there are outstanding private treatment records and VA treatment records that need to be obtained, as well as a VA examination for the Veteran's hearing loss, skin disorder, GERD, and hiatal hernia. The claims for service connection will be remanded for these actions.
The deciding factor: The decision notes that there are outstanding medical records that have not been reviewed or associated with the case file, which could provide relevant information to support or refute the Veteran's claims. Additionally, a VA examination is needed to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss, skin disorder, GERD, and hiatal hernia.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss disability, traumatic brain injury (TBI), acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD with major depressive disorder, bilateral vision loss, skin disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2023
- Citation
- 23053082
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 23053082.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including right shoulder disability, abdominal hernia, GERD, bilateral ankle disabilities, and bilateral foot disabilities. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during the appellant's period of active duty.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disorder, skin disorder, tongue condition, right chest costochondritis, and right hand shaking due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability due to inadequate examination and reasoning.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied service connection for sinusitis and remanded the Veteran's claims for chronic lower back pain, right knee pain, left knee pain, neck pain, and GERD.
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