The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, but the Board finds no evidence of a claim prior to December 8, 2017.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no diagnosis of hearing loss per VA criteria.,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding sinus disability due to in-service exposures in Kuwait,Remanded for further examination and opinion regarding sleep apnea due to in-service exposures in Kuwait
The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than December 8, 2017 as there is no evidence of a claim prior to that date.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Sinus Disability, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 14, 2023
- Citation
- 23060718
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 23060718.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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