The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, diabetes mellitus, type II, a kidney disability, an eye disability, bilateral lower extremities peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral upper extremities peripheral neuropathy as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or incurrence related to these conditions. The claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, arthritis, hypertension, headaches, and tinnitus were remanded for further development.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the weight of the evidence did not support a finding of an etiological link between the claimed disabilities and the Veteran's active military service.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, diabetes mellitus, type II (DM), kidney disability, eye disability, bilateral lower extremities (BLE) peripheral neuropathy, bilateral upper extremities (BUE) peripheral neuropathy, bilateral hearing loss, arthritis, hypertension, headaches, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2025
- Citation
- 25006463
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the appeal to obtain a VA medical opinion that considers the Veteran's contentions of in-service training with heavy gear and equipment.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
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