The Veteran's claims for tinnitus, sleep apnea, and bilateral knee disability have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for tinnitus has been granted.,The claims for bilateral hearing loss, right foot disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) are remanded as there is no clear or competent medical evidence establishing a link between these conditions and service.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his in-service noise exposure during active duty service. The evidence supports this conclusion, including the Veteran's consistent reports of experiencing tinnitus since separation from service.,While there is no clear or competent medical evidence establishing a link between the claimed conditions and service, the Board finds that new evidence has been submitted which raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, right foot disability, bilateral knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD))
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19184139
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 19184139.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- 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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