The rating reduction from 20 percent to 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss was not proper, and the 20 percent rating is restored effective January 10, 2022.,Entitlement to compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for cerebrovascular accident (claimed as stroke) is remanded due to insufficient rationale in the medical opinion.
The deciding factor: The reduction of a rating must be based upon review of the entire history of the disability and whether any improvement actually reflects an improvement in the veteran's ability to function under the ordinary conditions of life and work.,An addendum opinion is needed to determine if compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a cerebrovascular accident (claimed as stroke) is warranted.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), Bilateral Post-Chiasmal Disorder with Diplopia, Diabetic Retinopathy, Pseudophakia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24063559
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A24063559.
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 bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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