The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected, but an earlier effective date prior to November 23, 2021, for the grant of service connection for left hand strain and pilonidal cyst is denied.,Tinnitus, otitis externa, inner ear disability, vertigo, depression, dementia, hypertension, and skin cancer are all remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted service connection based on his competent and credible lay statements regarding continuous or recurrent nature of hearing loss symptoms both in and since separation from service. However, the VA examiner did not consider the in-service reports of hearing loss.,For tinnitus, otitis externa, inner ear disability, vertigo, depression, dementia, hypertension, and skin cancer, further development is needed as these conditions were not previously granted or denied.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, left hand strain (thumb, index finger, long finger, ring finger, little finger), pilonidal cyst
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 15, 2024
- Citation
- A24066002
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,569 · Granted: 26% (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 A24066002.
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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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