The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating as defined by VA regulations.,The Veteran's rhinitis is rated at the maximum allowed and no additional manifestations are present, thus no higher rating can be granted.,The Veteran's arthritis of the right fifth digit has no manifestations not contemplated by the rating criteria.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction, residuals of a head injury, GERD, and cervical spine disability is remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.,No new or material evidence was presented to reopen service connection claims for these conditions.,The Veteran's GERD is not related to his service, including head injuries sustained during service.,Service connection for a cervical spine disability is also remanded as there are no discussions of lifting and injuries related to the Veteran's duties in service.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for hearing loss as defined by VA regulations.,There were no manifestations of polyps or greater than 50-percent obstruction of nasal passage on both sides, thus no higher rating can be granted.,No additional manifestations are present and the Veteran's arthritis is rated at the maximum allowed under current criteria.,The evidence does not establish a link between service and erectile dysfunction, residuals of head injury, GERD, or cervical spine disability.,There was insufficient evidence to reopen service connection claims for these conditions.,No new or material evidence was presented to support reopening of service connection claims.,Service connection is not established as the Veteran's symptoms do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under current VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, rhinitis, arthritis of the right fifth digit, erectile dysfunction, residuals of a head injury, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cervical spine disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2024
- Citation
- A24080173
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 A24080173.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
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