The Veteran's low back disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and left wrist disability are granted as service connected.,The Veteran's right wrist disability is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's traumatic brain injury (TBI) is granted as service connected.,The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as service connected.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and GERD was denied.
The deciding factor: The private medical examiner provided a detailed point-by-point rationale linking the Veteran’s type of work on active duty to his lower back disability, which was corroborated by an in-service complaint of back pain. The Veteran's pseudofolliculitis barbae is linked to service due to his lay statements and current diagnosis.,The December 2018 private medical examination report noted the Veteran’s current diagnosis of pseudofolliculitis barbae, which was related to his in-service shaving profile. The Veteran's contentions regarding ongoing symptoms since service are credible and corroborated by the examination.,There is no evidence showing a change in hearing or complaints after the March 2008 VA examination, thus failing the first prong of the three-prong test for service connection as there was no current disability for which he can be service connected. The Veteran's hearing loss did not meet the criteria to qualify as a disability for VA purposes.,The GERD is linked to his right shoulder disability via NSAIDs used for treatment, and the Veteran provided credible statements regarding ongoing symptoms since service.,The left wrist strain and degenerative joint disease are etiologically related to active service. The right wrist strain is granted as service connected based on the private medical examination report.,The TBI is linked to loss of consciousness from an explosion in service, supported by the Veteran's statements and the private medical examiner’s opinion.,The sleep apnea is linked to GERD via the private medical examiner's opinion.
- Claimed conditions
- low back disability, pseudofolliculitis barbae, bilateral hearing loss, GERD, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, traumatic brain injury (TBI), sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- August 28, 2019
- Citation
- 19166839
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,092 · Granted: 42% (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 19166839.
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 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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