The Board has decided that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. The Board also found that there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file for the Board to decide his claim regarding lower back pain with intervertebral disc disorder, thus remanding this issue.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes during service and post-service records do not show it at any time during or recent to the filing of the claim. The Board found that there is insufficient competent medical evidence on file for the Board to decide his claim regarding lower back pain with intervertebral disc disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, lower back pain with intervertebral disc disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24084689
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 A24084689.
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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