The Board remands the claims for a compensable disability evaluation rating for service-connected hearing loss, an increased disability evaluation rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected left knee strain with chondromalacia patella, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The remand is necessary to obtain outstanding treatment records and provide an adequate VA examination for the left knee condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing loss, Left knee strain with chondromalacia patella, Total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2025
- Citation
- A25043911
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,164 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25043911.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's hearing loss and low back strain claims are remanded for further evaluation. The hearing loss claim is denied, while the low back strain claim requires additional examination to determine its severity.
- Granted
The Veteran's entitlement to higher level of SMC at the intermediate rate is granted, effective from January 8, 2021. He was previously in need of aid and attendance due to his left knee disability since February 1, 2017, and now has additional disabilities rated at 50 percent or more.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to military noise exposure and there is no evidence of a nexus between in-service noise exposure and his current condition.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot because he already has a combined disability rating of 100%, qualifying for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for regular aid and attendance. The earlier effective date claim for DEA benefits is denied as the Veteran is already in receipt of the earliest possible date for the award.
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