The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied because the condition did not manifest during service or is otherwise related to service. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hypoxemia secondary to sleep apnea, and his alcohol abuse claim is also denied due to lack of entitlement under the law.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for alcohol abuse is denied as it results from willful misconduct (abuse of alcohol or drugs).,An increased rating for lumbar spine spondylosis is granted with a 20% evaluation, effective June 22, 2016. The left ankle sprain and left ear hearing loss are also evaluated at their current levels.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss for VA compensation purposes.,There is no evidence that the Veteran's sleep apnea condition had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service. The preponderance of the evidence also does not support a finding that his hypoxemia secondary to sleep apnea was caused by a service-connected disability.,The Veteran’s alcohol abuse claim is denied as it results from willful misconduct (abuse of alcohol or drugs).,The Veteran's lumbar spine spondylosis has been evaluated at 20% since June 22, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Sleep apnea, Hypoxemia secondary to sleep apnea, Alcohol abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19145295
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (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 19145295.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
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