The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and headaches has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claims are granted in part as they have been reopened, but denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: New evidence was submitted that relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the hearing loss claim, but the Board finds the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus did not have their onset during service and are not otherwise related. The claims for sleep apnea and headaches were denied as there is no indication of in-service treatment or a nexus between these conditions and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Sleep Apnea, Headaches
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161583
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 19161583.
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 bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased disability evaluation for PTSD but granted an earlier effective date for TDIU of August 6, 2012.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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