The Veteran's service connection claims for hypertension, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The AOJ will obtain a new medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examination reports do not address the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam or his early-onset symptoms, which could be relevant to service connection under presumptive provisions.
- Claimed conditions
- hypertension, tinnitus, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral upper extremities, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 23, 2024
- Citation
- A24059852
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 A24059852.
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 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.
- 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.
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