The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the remaining issues due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors.
The deciding factor: The examinations were inadequate as they did not consider other etiologies, including direct or secondary service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, neck disorder, back disorder, abnormal weight gain, chronic fatigue syndrome, headache disorder, hypertension, hypopituitarism, left knee gout, right knee gout, unspecified joint pain, unspecified muscle pain, acquired psychiatric disorder (including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and sleep disturbances), obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 5, 2026
- Citation
- A26019779
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 A26019779.
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 Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- 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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