The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and shin splints should be remanded due to a lack of evidence in the record regarding the presence of hearing loss for VA purposes, inadequate rationale provided by the April 2022 VA examiner on the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus, and an insufficient consideration of the Veteran's reported symptoms and continued symptomatology.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was a lack of evidence showing a hearing loss disability in the February 2022 audiogram, inadequate rationale provided by the April 2022 VA examiner on the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus, and insufficient consideration of the Veteran's reported symptoms and continued symptomatology.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, shin splints
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24071659
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,762 · Granted: 24% (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 A24071659.
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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