The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, a right knee disorder, and hypertension is denied. The appeal for service connection for a left knee disorder and a respiratory disorder is remanded.,Service connection for sleep apnea is denied as the preponderance of evidence does not support its onset during or related to active duty service. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a right knee disorder, and hypertension are also denied due to lack of current disability for VA purposes. The appeal for service connection for a left knee disorder and respiratory disorder is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran does not have current disabilities for VA purposes for the conditions in question.,There is no competent evidence showing that sleep apnea began during or was related to active duty service. The earliest diagnosis of sleep apnea occurred several years after separation from service, and there are no post-service medical records indicating symptoms associated with sleep apnea until several years after separation.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, hypertension, respiratory disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19171814
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 19171814.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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