The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for sleep apnea is also denied, with the examiner finding that it is not related to military service and likely due to obesity. The Veteran does not meet the criteria for undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis is denied as there is no evidence of greater than 50 percent obstruction of the nasal passage on both sides, complete obstruction on one side, or nasal polyps.
The deciding factor: There is no current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss that meets VA criteria.,The Veteran's sleep apnea was found to be a known clinical diagnosis with a specific etiology and not related to military service.,The Veteran does not meet the criteria for allergic rhinitis as defined by VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, allergic rhinitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18118130
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18118130.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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