The Board remands the claims for service connection and increased ratings to obtain additional evidence, including a VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and verification of stressors related to his psychiatric disorder and bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, possible major depressive disorder), Right knee disability, Left knee disability, Left ankle disability, Right ankle disability (chronic right ankle medial malleolus avulsion fracture with instability and achilles tendonitis), Back disability (chronic mid-thoracic spine strain)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2024
- Citation
- 24004199
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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