The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The claims for service connection for headache disorder, sinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea, COPD, colon cancer, and lung cancer were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating for tinnitus or a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. For the claims of service connection, additional evidence was needed to determine their merits.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, headache disorder, sinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colon cancer, lung cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2025
- Citation
- A25031463
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his lung cancer was related to his service-connected melanoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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