The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, carpal tunnel syndrome of the upper extremities, low back disability, eye disabilities, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostate cancer, and SMC at the housebound rate due to deficiencies in obtaining Social Security Administration (SSA) records related to the Veteran's claimed conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found that prior to the appealed rating decisions, VA had not attempted to obtain potentially relevant SSA disability records, which are necessary for a complete evaluation of the claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, carpal tunnel syndrome of the bilateral upper extremities, low back disability, bilateral eye disability (glaucoma and cataracts), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostate cancer, right knee disability, left knee disability, right foot disability, left foot disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2026
- Citation
- A26004541
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 A26004541.
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's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
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