The Veteran's depression was found to be secondary to his service-connected tinnitus, and headaches were found to be secondary to the Veteran's depression. Sleep apnea was also found to be secondary to the Veteran's depression.,Service connection for a left knee disorder, right knee disorder, colon cancer, skin cancer, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction could not be established as they were not caused by service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's tinnitus aggravated his depression, which in turn caused his headaches. The private examiner also found that the Veteran's depression caused his sleep apnea.,No medical evidence was provided to support a finding of direct service connection for the left knee disorder, right knee disorder, colon cancer, skin cancer, diabetes mellitus, and erectile dysfunction.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, headaches, sleep apnea, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, colon cancer, skin cancer, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176781
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no competent evidence linking the condition to service.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
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