The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, a compensable rating for hypothyroidism, and entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss beyond 30 percent. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms were adequately compensated by the current rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Obstructive sleep apnea, Hypothyroidism
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25042042
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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