The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for chronic otitis externa and chronic suppurative otitis media is being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error related to the adequacy of the VA medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The VA medical opinion provided by the June 2021 examiner was inadequate as it did not clarify whether the Veteran's diagnoses constituted a single disability or multiple separate and distinct disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic otitis externa, chronic suppurative otitis media
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 24, 2024
- Citation
- A24060180
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 A24060180.
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 has denied service connection for chronic suppurative otitis media as there is no evidence of a current disability, and the Veteran's reported symptoms are more likely due to post-service activities.
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