The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, and lumbar spine disability. The case is remanded for further development.,Service connection was not granted for hypertension due to the lack of a nexus opinion regarding herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's current hearing loss, sleep apnea, and lumbar spine disability are not related to service or any in-service injury. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were caused by military noise exposure for the hearing loss, or an in-service injury for the sleep apnea and lumbar spine.,The Veteran's hypertension was not linked to his period of service due to lack of nexus opinion regarding herbicide exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"condition_name":"Obstructive Sleep Apnea"}, {"condition_name":"Degenerative Joint Disease of the Lumbar Spine"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19106405
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for myasthenia gravis based on the Veteran's exposure to hazardous substances during his military service.
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