The Veteran's service connection claims for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied.,Service connection has been granted for right knee instability (right knee) with a 10% disability rating, and right knee arthritis (right knee) with a separate 10% disability rating. The Veteran's service connection claim for obstructive sleep apnea has also been denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support the presence of current disabilities for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, or tinnitus as defined by VA regulatory criteria under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385.,Service connection has not been established for obstructive sleep apnea due to lack of a nexus between the current condition and service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right ear hearing loss, Left ear hearing loss, Tinnitus, Obstructive sleep apnea, Right knee instability (right knee), Right knee arthritis (right knee), Healed right tibial fracture (right leg), Bilateral pes cavus, Right neck scar
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19180418
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 20 percent rating for the Veteran's left knee strain, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and service connection for a right ankle disorder. Other claims were denied or remanded.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
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