The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and bilateral metatarsalgia (claimed as bilateral pes planus). The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.,The Veteran's current hearing loss in both ears was not confirmed by the VA examiner, and a new opinion must be obtained addressing these concerns.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current sleep apnea to service. The claim for bilateral metatarsalgia (claimed as bilateral pes planus) was also granted based on the Veteran's lay statements and a positive nexus opinion.,For the hearing loss claim, the VA examiner did not provide current audiometric findings or an opinion regarding its onset in service. Therefore, a new examination is needed to determine if the Veteran has current hearing loss and whether it is related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, bilateral metatarsalgia (claimed as bilateral pes planus), bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20007674
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (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 20007674.
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.
- 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 bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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