The Veteran's claims for service connection for various foot and hand conditions are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing disability (including bilateral hearing loss and bilateral hyperacusis) and tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding her exposure to toxic substances during active duty.,
The deciding factor: The Veteran has not been provided with a VA examination for all of her service connection claims, which constitutes a failure to assist. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence in the record to determine the etiology of her hearing and tinnitus disabilities due to potential exposure to toxic substances during active duty.,There are insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing disability (including bilateral hearing loss and bilateral hyperacusis) and tinnitus claims as they may be related to exposure to toxic substances during active duty. The VA examiner must consider all audiologic testing of record, including those from her deployments in Afghanistan and non-deployment-related exposures.,
- Claimed conditions
- left foot metatarsalgia, left foot pes planus, left foot hallux valgus, right foot hallux valgus, right hand arthritis, left hand arthritis, left palmar fascial fibromatosis, right palmar fascial fibromatosis, right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, headache disability, bilateral hearing disability (including bilateral hearing loss and bilateral hyperacusis), tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26017526
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 A26017526.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims regarding entitlement to service connection for a headache disability and entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent prior to May 29, 2014, and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for right tibiofibular ligament strain are being remanded due to the need for additional development.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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