The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability during service or within the presumptive period. The Veteran's tinnitus, however, is granted as it is related to his active service.,The Veteran's migraine headaches are remanded for further development due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding their onset and relationship to service.,The Veteran's right ankle disorder is also remanded for further development due to an inadequate medical opinion regarding its onset and relationship to service.
The deciding factor: For bilateral hearing loss, the evidence does not show a chronic disability during service or within the presumptive period. For tinnitus, there is no intercurrent cause and it is related to in-service noise exposure.,The medical opinion for migraine headaches was inadequate as it did not address whether the preexisting condition worsened during service or if any increase in severity was due to natural progression.,For right ankle disorder, the medical opinion was inadequate as it relied on the absence of 'chronicity of care' without a valid basis for such a conclusion.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraine headaches, right ankle disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2024
- Citation
- A24045020
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 A24045020.
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 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.
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