The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and granted an initial separate and compensable disability rating of 10 percent, and no higher, for vertigo secondary to tinnitus. Other claims were denied.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not support the presence of a current disability for obstructive sleep apnea or urinary frequency, and service connection was not established due to lack of evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim. The Veteran's vertigo was granted based on occasional dizziness without staggering.

Claimed conditions

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Obstructive sleep apnea, Urinary frequency disability, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Vertigo secondary to tinnitus, Headache disability (claimed as migraine headaches), Cervical spine disability, Right shoulder disability (also claimed as right shoulder strain, right shoulder pain, and contusion on the right shoulder), Right elbow disability, Low back disability, to include paraspinal muscle strain at L5 (also claimed as low back pain), Left ankle disability (also claimed as left ankle sprain and rolled ankle sprain), Right upper extremity nerve disability (also claimed as right upper extremity radiculopathy), to include as secondary to a cervical spine disability, Left hip disability, to include as secondary to a left ankle disability (also claimed as left ankle sprain and rolled ankle sprain), Left knee disability, to include as secondary to a left ankle disability (also claimed as left ankle sprain and rolled ankle sprain)

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

March 3, 2025

Citation

A25018826

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