The appeal of service connection claims for diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, left lower extremity peripheral vascular arterial and venous insufficiency, right lower extremity peripheral vascular arterial and venous insufficiency, acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, vision disorder, and bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the diabetes mellitus claim before a decision was made. The VA examiner found that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and peripheral vascular arterial and venous insufficiency were less likely than not due to his active service, based on lack of evidence in STRs and long latency period post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive sleep apnea, Bilateral lower extremity peripheral vascular arterial and venous insufficiency, Acquired psychiatric disorder (presumed to be depression), Hypertension, Vision disorder, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 17, 2018
- Citation
- 18118727
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 18118727.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
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