The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected back disability. The claims for right ear hearing loss, left elbow and wrist disabilities, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, melanoma, and upper extremity carpal tunnel syndromes are all denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a direct link between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Left elbow disability, Right elbow disability, Left wrist disability, Right wrist disability, Sleep apnea, Hypertension, Melanoma, Diabetes mellitus, type II, Left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, Right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- October 24, 2018
- Citation
- 18144456
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 18144456.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and hypertension, to include as secondary to left orchiectomy, for further development in accordance with the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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