The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus have been granted. The claim for secondary service connection for sleep apnea is remanded.,The Board found the VA examinations insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's sleep apnea was aggravated by his service-connected bipolar disorder or obesity, as there were no adequate opinions provided.
The deciding factor: The decision acknowledges that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of left ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus related to service exposure. However, it notes that the claim for secondary service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to insufficient medical opinion regarding aggravation by bipolar disorder or obesity.
- Claimed conditions
- left ear hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2022
- Citation
- 22059922
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 22059922.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease manifesting within one year after service and concluding that the current disability is not related to his in-service deviated septum.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran will be provided with a VA examination to determine if his current sleep disorder is related to his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for onychomycosis was denied as the condition did not require treatment and covered less than 5% of his body. The Board also remanded issues regarding service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable disability rating for right ear hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the issue of service connection for sleep apnea due to insufficient medical opinions and need for further development.
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