The Veteran's claim for PTSD has been reopened, and he was granted service connection for tinnitus. The claims for bilateral SNHL, sleep apnea, upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite), and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim of PTSD, allowing for a grant of service connection based on in-service noise exposure resulting in tinnitus. The other claims were denied as there was no evidence linking the conditions to service or any related exposures.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tinnitus, sleep apnea, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite), left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite), right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite), left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy (likely due to frostbite)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146459
Veterans Law Judge
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 19146459.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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