The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were granted. The Veteran was awarded service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, and service connection for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to his service-connected post-concussional syndrome with cerebellar dysfunction.
The deciding factor: The VA physicians provided competent medical evidence supporting the Veteran's claims of secondary service connection for diabetes mellitus and sleep apnea. The Board found that there was sufficient evidence to support these determinations based on the Veteran's history and medical literature cited in support of the opinions.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, post-concussional syndrome with residual headaches, post-concussional syndrome with cerebellar dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, shell fragment wound, right hand, diabetes mellitus, type II, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2018
- Citation
- 1810443
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 1810443.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 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.
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