The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The claim for asthma was reopened, but not granted as the evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea was granted based on continuity of symptomatology since service. Service connection for asthma was also granted secondary to service-connected disabilities (sleep apnea and PTSD). The Veteran's hypertension claim was denied due to lack of medical evidence linking it to his period of active service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any of the conditions were related to service or service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss"}, {"condition_name":"Asthma"}, {"condition_name":"Obstructive Sleep Apnea"}, {"condition_name":"Hypertension"}, {"condition_name":"Migraine Headaches"}
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19106873
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.
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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 appeal for service connection for a left-hand condition is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection for mononeuropathy to the left hand fourth finger with parasthesia of skin in an October 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for unspecified anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding their etiology.
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