The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, OSA, and CVA were denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD was dismissed as a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not filed regarding it.
The deciding factor: No new and material evidence was submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. OSA is not caused or aggravated by service-connected PTSD, nor does it have any direct link to service. The Veteran did not file a timely NOD regarding the effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), residuals of cerebral vascular accident (CVA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19127137
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on the Veteran's exposure to in-service chemical agents.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including bilateral hearing loss and various musculoskeletal issues, as well as an initial rating in excess of 0 percent for rhinitis. However, the Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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