Service connection is granted for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) / Arthritis and/or Degenerative Disc Disease of the Spine.,Service connection is also granted for Tendonitis of the Feet, but service connection for Bilateral Hearing Loss and Tinnitus remains pending as additional development is needed.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms are found to be related to his military service based on credible lay statements and continuity of symptomatology.,Service connection is granted because there is no evidence of a chronic condition in service, but the Veteran has continuous symptoms since then. The VA examiner did not adequately address these factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) / Arthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the Spine, Tendonitis of the Feet, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2022
- Citation
- 22059000
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 22059000.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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