The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for tinnitus has been denied as the earliest date of claim is September 15, 2014.,The Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for sleep apnea and depression have both been granted. The evidence received since the last denial shows a current diagnosis of sleep apnea and new medical opinions linking depression to service.
The deciding factor: No earlier effective date is possible as the September 15, 2014 claim was the earliest valid claim for tinnitus.,The evidence provided by the Veteran raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating his claims for sleep apnea and depression. The new medical opinions link these conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, sleep apnea, depression
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184579
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,240 · Granted: 28% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19184579.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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