The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connection due to in-service noise exposure.,The Veteran's right shoulder disability, muscle pain, chest and ribs condition, and headaches are remanded for further examination and opinion.,Resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, her bilateral hearing loss is found to be related to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that a reasonable doubt has arisen regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability due to normal hearing at separation and without a significant shift in thresholds.,The VA examiner failed to consider the lay statements of record expressing that the Veteran's right shoulder symptoms began in service and have progressively worsened since service, leading to remand for another VA examination and opinion.,The Board finds that there is no medical evidence showing treatment for chronic headaches post-separation, but the Veteran's spouse stated that she has complained of headaches continuously. Therefore, the Board remands this matter for another VA examination and opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, right shoulder disability, muscle pain, chest and ribs condition, headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 28, 2024
- Citation
- A24027696
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 A24027696.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's right shoulder disability and migraines/chronic headaches are remanded for additional development due to insufficient opinions on the etiology of her conditions.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
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