The Veteran's claim of service connection for schizophrenia is reopened, but the condition is not found to be related to his military service.,Service connection for upper and lower back pain is denied as there is no evidence that the condition began during or was caused by his military service.,Service connection for bilateral pes planus/flat feet is denied because it preexisted his entry into active service and the presumption of soundness applies.,Service connection for ED secondary to sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence showing worsening of the condition due to a service-connected disability.,Service connection for bilateral tinea pedis (Athlete’s Foot) is denied because there is no evidence that it began during or was caused by his military service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss for VA purposes.,Service connection for vertigo is denied as the condition does not meet the criteria to be considered secondary to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's schizophrenia was not shown to have begun during or been caused by his military service, and there is no evidence of an in-service injury, event, or disease that could cause such a disorder.,There is no evidence showing the upper and lower back condition began during active service. The preponderance of the evidence does not support finding that it was aggravated by service.,The Veteran's bilateral pes planus/flat feet preexisted his entry into active service, and the presumption of soundness applies. Therefore, he cannot bring a claim for service-connected aggravation of this condition.,There is no evidence showing worsening of the ED due to a service-connected disability. The condition was not shown to have begun during or be related to military service.,The Veteran's bilateral tinea pedis (Athlete’s Foot) did not begin during active service, and there is no evidence that it was caused by an in-service injury, event, or disease.,There is no current diagnosis of hearing loss for VA purposes. The condition has not been shown to have begun during active service.,The Veteran's vertigo does not meet the criteria to be considered secondary to a service-connected disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Schizophrenia, Upper and Lower Back Pain, Bilateral Pes Planus/Flat Feet, Erectile Dysfunction (ED), Bilateral Tinea Pedis (Athlete’s Foot), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Vertigo
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102344
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,329 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102344.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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