The Veteran's sleep apnea and left leg disability are not service-connected.,The Veteran's back, right knee, and left knee disabilities are not service-connected.,Bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, but the right foot disability remains unaddressed due to a duty-to-assist error.,Tinnitus is service-connected.
The deciding factor: Without current evidence of sleep apnea or left leg disability, and insufficient medical evidence linking these conditions to service, the claims are denied.,The Veteran's back, right knee, and left knee disabilities did not start during service or are otherwise related to service. The VA examination was inadequate as it incorrectly stated that the right foot was already service-connected.,Bilateral hearing loss is linked to noise exposure in service, but a new examination is needed for the right foot disability due to a duty-to-assist error.,Tinnitus is linked to noise exposure in service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, left leg disability, back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- A19000797
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 A19000797.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability due to a duty to assist error, specifically regarding VA's failure to provide the Veteran with a VA examination prior to the rating decision.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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