The Veteran's tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and low back disability are all found to be at least as likely as not due to his active-duty service.,The Veteran's OSA is also found to be at least as likely as not proximately due to his service-connected major depressive disorder.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran experienced noise exposure during service, which contributed to his current tinnitus diagnosis. The Board finds that the competent testimony of in-service noise exposure coupled with the current diagnosis of tinnitus support a grant of entitlement to service connection.,For OSA, the Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosis is linked to his service-connected major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, as supported by two private medical opinions. The evidence does not provide any negative opinion against this finding.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), low back disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2024
- Citation
- 24004386
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,858 · Granted: 24% (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 24004386.
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.
- 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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