The Board remands the claims for service connection for a left ear hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy to obtain additional medical evidence.
The deciding factor: The July 2019 VA medical opinion for hearing loss and tinnitus failed to adequately consider the Veteran's service treatment records that demonstrated more than a 5-decibel threshold shift during service. The September 2019 examiner also failed to consider certain STRs from August 1983 and May 1984.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus, lumbar spine disability, right lower extremity radiculopathy (secondary to lumbar spine disability), left lower extremity radiculopathy (secondary to lumbar spine disability)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25009166
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,911 · Granted: 10% (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 A25009166.
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 has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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