The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus first manifested during service and is presumed to have been incurred therein. The claims for hearing loss, frostbite (lower left and lower right), hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and sleep apnea are remanded due to a failure of the AOJ to obtain relevant records.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's STRs were not legible and VA treatment records from January 1992 did not exist. The AOJ failed to make reasonable efforts to obtain these records, which is necessary for proper adjudication of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss (hearing loss), frostbite, lower left extension (lower left frostbite), frostbite, lower right extension (lower right frostbite), hypertension, erectile dysfunction (ED) (claimed as loss of use of creative organ), right knee injury, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2024
- Citation
- A24027542
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 A24027542.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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