The Board remands the claims for service connection for left and right ear sensorineural hearing loss due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors.
The deciding factor: The September 2020 VA medical opinion was inadequate, and the RO failed to request an addendum medical opinion following the Veteran's supplemental claim with new evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear sensorineural hearing loss, right ear sensorineural hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2025
- Citation
- A25046020
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 Board remands the claim for service connection for right ear sensorineural hearing loss to obtain additional medical evidence regarding its etiology, including considering the Veteran's presumed in-service toxic exposure risk activities.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's left ear sensorineural hearing loss was granted, while the claims for right ear hearing loss, thoracolumbar spine condition, cervical strain, and right lower extremity radiculopathy were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased disability evaluation rating of 40 percent for service-connected left and right lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic. The other issues were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus and remanded the claim for a compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss due to an unperformed VA examination.
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