The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied because there is no evidence of an in-service incurrence or relationship to service.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to PTSD, is denied due to lack of evidence establishing the in-service incurrence and nexus elements.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss or obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's STRs are silent for any complaints or treatment related to these conditions.,The Veteran has not provided good cause for failing to report for scheduled VA examinations, and the Board must decide the claims based on the evidence of record. There is no competent medical evidence linking his current OSA and hypertension to service or a service-connected disability.,There is no competent medical evidence showing that the Veteran's hypertension began during service or within one year after discharge, is otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease, or is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2024
- Citation
- 24009546
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 24009546.
What this means for you
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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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- 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.
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