The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, headaches, sleep disability, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson disease, circulatory disability, gastroesophageal disability, cervical spine disability, bilateral hip and knee disabilities, and bilateral ankle disabilities has been granted. The claims for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, bilateral upper extremity frostbite residuals, bilateral lower extremity frostbite residuals, bilateral foot disability, skin disability, and service connection for a lumbar spine disability have been denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability was caused or aggravated by active service. The left ear hearing loss is not shown to be related to active service. Headaches are not shown to be causally related to active service. Sleep disability, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson disease, circulatory disability, gastroesophageal disability, cervical spine disability, bilateral hip and knee disabilities, and bilateral ankle disabilities have not been shown during the period on appeal or proximate thereto.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Acquired psychiatric disability (likely PTSD), Left ear hearing loss, Lumbar spine disability, Bilateral upper extremity frostbite residuals, Bilateral lower extremity frostbite residuals, Bilateral foot disability, Skin disability, Headaches, Sleep disability, Peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson disease, Circulatory disability, Gastroesophageal disability, Cervical spine disability, Bilateral hip disability, Bilateral knee disability, Bilateral ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- October 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19176811
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (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 19176811.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Formula for Diseases and Injuries of the Spine. The evidence does not support a higher rating as his range of motion did not meet the criteria for an increased rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability is dismissed. The appeal for service connection for bilateral knee disabilities is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
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