The Veteran's service connection claims for a sleep disorder, bilateral hearing loss, low back disorder, left knee disability, and right knee disability have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any of these conditions at the time of his claim or since.
The deciding factor: There is no competent evidence showing the existence of any of the claimed disabilities during service or post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep Disorder (to include sleep apnea), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Low Back Disorder manifested by pain, Left Knee Disability, Right Knee Disability, to include meniscal tear
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2018
- Citation
- 18156467
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 18156467.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's left knee disability is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds no evidence of clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of June 19, 2002.
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