The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left shoulder disorder, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claims for tinnitus are also remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the pending hearing loss claims.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that any of the Veteran's claimed disabilities were incurred or aggravated by his military service, including due to exposure to noise and other potential hazards.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left shoulder disorder, left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18117109
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 18117109.
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 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 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.
- 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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