The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, an ear condition, and a right inguinal hernia need to be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and failure to provide adequate medical opinions. The AOJ will need to schedule the Veteran for additional VA examinations to address these issues.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the previous VA examinations were insufficient as they did not consider all relevant evidence, including lay statements from the Veteran, and failed to provide a thorough analysis of the Veteran's claims related to service connection due to toxic exposure risk activity.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, ear condition (claimed as ears are opening and closing with pressure), right inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2024
- Citation
- A24030667
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 A24030667.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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