The Board has denied service connection for gout, sleep apnea, and bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims are being remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection is not granted for gout, sleep apnea, or bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of in-service injury or disease that could be related to these conditions.
The deciding factor: The absence of in-service evidence of a hearing disability during service does not necessarily preclude a grant of service connection. Evidence of current hearing loss and a medically sound basis for attributing it to service may serve as a basis for a grant of service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- gout, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24054610
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 A24054610.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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