Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The VA needs to provide separate opinions on whether the hearing loss is caused by or aggravated by the veteran's service-connected otitis externa and tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to provide separate opinions for secondary service connection and aggravation, which are independent concepts requiring distinct findings and rationales.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, bilateral otitis externa, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 16, 2025
- Citation
- 25000635
Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.