The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and hypertension. The claim for tinnitus remains denied as new evidence does not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate it. The claim for loss of teeth is denied due to lack of a current disability characterization. The claim for hyperlipidemia is denied because it is a laboratory finding. The Board has also remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not establish a nexus between the Veteran’s disabilities and his active duty service or a service-connected disability, except for the reopened claims of sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, loss of teeth, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19173580
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 19173580.
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.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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