The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions, including a bilateral eye disability, right ear hearing loss, asthma, tuberculosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep disorder, and gum disease, as the evidence did not support the presence of these disabilities during or near the time of the Veteran's active service.
The deciding factor: The September 2022 VA examination found that the Veteran had age-related presbyopia, which is a congenital defect, and there was no evidence of chronic vision disorders. For hearing loss, the criteria for service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385 were not met.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral eye disability, right ear hearing loss, asthma, tuberculosis, right carpal tunnel syndrome, left carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep disorder, gum disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2025
- Citation
- 25005736
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent disability rating for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder with major depressive disorder, recurrent, and alcohol use disorder in early remission, as well as TDIU due to asthma and SMC at the housebound rate.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma and remanded claims for insomnia and sleep apnea. Other conditions were denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including sinusitis, elbows condition, cervical condition, erectile dysfunction, kidney condition, sleep apnea, wrists condition, asthma, shoulders condition, ankles condition, eye condition (bilateral dry macular degeneration), peripheral vascular disease (heart condition), and rhinitis.
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