Service connection for tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, right knee strain, PTSD, sinusitis, and rhinitis (bacterial and allergic) is granted.,An effective date prior to February 17, 2016, for the grant of a 10 percent rating for right ankle strain is denied. Service connection for PTSD, sinusitis, and rhinitis (bacterial and allergic) is also granted with an effective date of February 17, 2016.,The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea.
The deciding factor: Tinnitus was incurred in service and continues to exist.,Obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to the service-connected PTSD.,Right ankle strain worsened due to PTSD, warranting a grant of an effective date prior to February 17, 2016.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea, right ankle strain, PTSD, sinusitis, rhinitis (bacterial and allergic), right knee strain
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19148602
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for left knee strain, right knee strain, right wrist strain, and TBI. The Veteran's PTSD rating was remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
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