The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to his military service. The claim is not reopened.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss has been reopened as new and material evidence supports a finding that the condition may be related to in-service noise exposure.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence showing sleep apnea developed during or due to military service, and the additional evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is causally related to his acoustic trauma during active duty service. The new evidence supports this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- Sleep apnea, Left ear hearing loss, Erectile dysfunction (ED), Coronary artery graft bypass surgery, Acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19183401
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for chronic headaches, CFS, dermatosis, bilateral RLS, a lumbar spine disability, and sleep apnea but denied a compensable evaluation for allergic rhinitis.
- 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 an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding a causal relationship between the condition and an in-service incident of military sexual trauma (MST).
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a low back disability, residuals of a right foot injury, sinusitis, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnea as there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
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