The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim of service connection for chronic otitis externa must be remanded due to a duty to assist error. The AOJ is instructed to obtain all non-VA treatment records and develop the contentions regarding exposure to chemicals during service, including scheduling an appropriate VA examination.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a duty to assist error in not developing the Veteran's contentions regarding exposure to chemicals during service, which could be related to his chronic otitis externa. The claim is remanded for these actions.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic otitis externa
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24041732
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 A24041732.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions were granted effective from July 1, 2020.
- Granted
The Veteran's chronic otitis externa has been rated at a 10 percent disability level, effective from the date of the decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to assess the current severity of her service-connected disabilities. The issues remain on appeal as they have not been finally decided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for chronic otitis externa, finding that the evidence does not support a causal relationship between the condition and the Veteran's active service.
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