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. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is assigned the minimum noncompensable rating due to the nature of the disability. A higher rating for tinnitus is not granted, and a higher rating for major depressive disorder is also denied.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran’s headache disorder was related to his service-connected disabilities (tinnitus and major depressive disorder), allowing for secondary service connection. The evidence did not support a current diagnosis of sleep apnea. The Veteran's hearing loss, while present, did not meet the criteria for an increased rating as it did not reach the threshold for exceptional patterns of hearing loss.
- 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
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19148704
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- 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.
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