The Board denied the veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and dismissed his appeal for service connection for adjustment disorder. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's in-service reports of wrist pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, and hand/finger pain were not adequately addressed by the previous medical opinions, necessitating a new opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder, bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, right wrist disability, left wrist disability, disability of the right hand and fingers, disability of the left hand and fingers
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2024
- Citation
- 24004853
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 Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for another VA examination and opinion as the previous examinations were found to be inadequate.
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