The Veteran's service-connected headache disorder, tinnitus, and major depressive disorder are found to be related to his current headaches. Service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or in-service injury leading to the condition. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not compensable due to the non-existence of exceptional patterns of hearing loss. A TDIU has been granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s headache disorder, tinnitus, and major depressive disorder are found to be related to his service-connected conditions, meeting the secondary service connection criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- headache disorder, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148704
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for major depressive disorder is dismissed as moot because the earliest effective date was granted during the pendency of this appeal.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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