The Board remands the issues for further development to ensure all available service treatment records are associated with the claims file.
The deciding factor: The RO was on notice that some service treatment records remained outstanding at the time of the November 2023 rating decision, and these could have provided information pertinent to the service connection claims and evaluation assignments.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, dry eye syndrome of both eyes (claimed as left and right eye condition), major depressive disorder with other specified trauma and stressor related disorder, right wrist tendinitis, right hand tendinitis involving the thumb, right hand tendinitis involving the little finger, right hand tendinitis involving the long finger, right hand tendinitis involving the index finger
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25042875
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 withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Partly granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, while fibromyalgia, internal or external hemorrhoids, bilateral hearing loss, and neuropathy are denied.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding it at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.
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