The Board has remanded the claims for further development to determine if the former service member's depression and cervical strain with multilevel cervical disc disease, as well as his multilevel thoracic disc disease, were incurred or aggravated during any period of active duty. The presumptions of soundness and aggravation do not apply due to lack of veteran status.
The deciding factor: The Board found a need for additional development regarding the former service member's periods of INACDUTRA and ACDUTRA to determine if his depression, cervical strain with multilevel cervical disc disease, or multilevel thoracic disc disease were incurred during these periods.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, depression, cervical strain with multilevel cervical disc disease (claimed as chronic neck pain), multilevel thoracic disc disease (claimed as arthritis, lower back)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26006971
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 A26006971.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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