The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus as diagnosed disabilities, and thus cannot be granted service connection for these conditions.,For RUE CTS and LUE CTS, the claims are being remanded due to insufficient evidence of a current disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence showing bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus as diagnosed disabilities. The Veteran's STRs did not document any complaints or treatment for these conditions.,Regarding RUE CTS and LUE CTS, the claims are being remanded because the current record does not contain sufficient evidence to establish a present disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Left Shoulder Disability, Right Upper Extremity Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (RUE CTS), Left Upper Extremity Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (LUE CTS)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2024
- Citation
- 24004441
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 772 · Granted: 31% (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 24004441.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
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