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.,Secondary service connection for hypoxemia secondary to sleep apnea is denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for alcohol abuse is denied as it falls under a prohibition on compensation for disabilities resulting from willful misconduct, including abuse of alcohol or drugs.
The deciding factor: There is no current right ear hearing loss disability documented in the record.
- 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
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 Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Denied
The appeal for higher ratings and effective dates for various conditions was denied, with the exception of left and right lower extremity radiculopathy which were granted an earlier effective date.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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