The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to October 6, 2014, for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied. The Board also finds that his claims for sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disorder, erectile dysfunction, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and dysthymic disorder) require further development as they may be related to pre-existing conditions or personal assault during boot camp.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's original claim for service connection was received on October 6, 2014, which is the earliest possible effective date under VA regulations. The Board also notes that his claims for sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disorder, erectile dysfunction, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and dysthymic disorder) may be related to pre-existing conditions or personal assault during boot camp.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Sleep Apnea, Gastrointestinal Disorder, Erectile Dysfunction, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD and Dysthymic Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131091
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,676 · Granted: 24% (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 19131091.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
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