The Veteran's cervical spine injury is not related to his military service.,There is no evidence that the Veteran’s sleep apnea began in or is related to his active duty service.,The preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate a link between the Veteran’s heart disease and his service-connected psychiatric disorder.,The Veteran's stomach problems, also claimed as ulcers, did not begin during service or are otherwise related to an in-service injury, event, or illness.,There is no current diagnosis of right ear scars due to a head injury. The claim must be denied.,Residuals of the head injury do not have a link to service and were not caused by it.,The Veteran's migraines are not related to his residuals of a head injury.
The deciding factor: The most probative evidence is against a finding that the Veteran’s cervical spine injury is related to his military service.,The preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran’s sleep apnea began in or is etiologically related to his active duty service.,The preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran's heart disease began in, or is etiologically related to, service. ,The preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate that the Veteran’s stomach problems, also claimed as ulcers, began in or are related to service.,There is no current diagnosis of right ear scars due to a head injury. The claim must be denied.,The preponderance of the evidence does not show that the residuals of the head injury were caused by service.,The Veteran's migraines do not have a link to his residuals of a head injury.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical spine injury (the neck), sleep apnea, heart disease, stomach problems also claimed as ulcers, right ear scars due to a head injury, residuals of head injury, migraines
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19109823
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19109823.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
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