The Veteran's claims for Bell's palsy, hypertension, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, hearing loss, bilateral knee arthritis, and gout were all denied as the conditions are not shown to have developed during active service or due to an established event, injury, or disease.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of any specific event, injury, or disease associated with these disorders during active service. The Veteran's claims for PTSD are also denied as there is insufficient evidence linking his current psychiatric condition to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bell's palsy, hypertension, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, hearing loss, bilateral knee arthritis, gout
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2014
- Citation
- 1423238
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 1423238.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.
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