The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the RO failing to readjudicate the issue in an SSOC.,The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for Bell's Palsy is remanded because the VA examination did not provide adequate rationale and consideration of the Veteran's reports was insufficient.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin rash of the left upper extremity, to include pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151, is remanded due to inadequate analysis in the VA examination.
The deciding factor: The RO failed to readjudicate the issue of entitlement to a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss in an SSOC.,The VA Bell's Palsy examiner did not provide thorough rationales and fully considered the Veteran's reports, leading to inadequate analysis.,The VA examination regarding service connection for a skin rash of the left upper extremity was insufficient due to lack of discussion on referral situations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, Bell's Palsy
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 5, 2024
- Citation
- 24000789
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24000789.
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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