The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is granted as it was incurred in service due to acoustic trauma.,Headaches are also granted as they were incurred in service due to acoustic trauma.,Low back disability is remanded for further examination and opinion.,Obstructive sleep apnea is remanded for further examination and opinion.,Diabetes mellitus is remanded for further examination and opinion.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in service, with the Board finding that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the claimant.,Headaches were also found to be etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained in service, with the Board finding that reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the claimant.,The low back disability was remanded as the VA examiner's opinion did not provide adequate explanation for discounting evidence of repeated instances of back pain in service and age-related factors were not provided a coherent basis to dismiss these findings.,Obstructive sleep apnea was found to be related to the Veteran's service-connected restrictive respiratory disease, with the Board noting that obesity may act as an intermediate step between a service-connected disability and a current disability. The examiner did not address whether there is an etiological link between the Veteran’s service connected restrictive respiratory disease and his obesity and obstructive sleep apnea.,Diabetes mellitus was found to be remanded due to lack of VA examination, with evidence suggesting possible connection to elevated sugar levels in service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Headaches, Low back disability, Obstructive sleep apnea, Diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 15, 2018
- Citation
- 18150633
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 18150633.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding whether the Veteran's current conditions are aggravated by his service-connected DDD of the lumbosacral spine. The AOJ is required to obtain new medical opinions addressing this issue.
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