The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities has been reopened, with the grant of service connection for sleep apnea. The claims for gynecomastia, peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, right ear hearing loss, hypogonadism (low testosterone), gastric ulcers, and back disorder are denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the Veteran's current diagnoses were related to his service period and met the criteria for a grant of service connection under direct service connection rules.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, gynecomastia, peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity, peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- April 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19124050
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (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 19124050.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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