The Board has denied earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that no new and material evidence was submitted within one year of the April 2004 rating decision denying these claims.,The Veteran's claim for diabetes mellitus is remanded due to a need for an addendum opinion addressing the relationship between his current disability and service.
The deciding factor: The effective dates for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be earlier than May 2, 2011, as no new and material evidence was submitted within one year of the April 2004 rating decision denying these claims. The Veteran did not appeal the April 2004 rating decision.,The claim for diabetes mellitus requires an addendum opinion to determine if there is a relationship between service and the current disability, as VA's duty to assist includes obtaining such opinions when necessary.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Diabetes Mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 17, 2026
- Citation
- A26023836
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 A26023836.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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