The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's period of active duty.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support in-service incurrence or aggravation of the claimed conditions, and there was no clear etiology linking them to service exposure or other service-related factors.
- Claimed conditions
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Right Ear Hearing Loss, Left Ear Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 19, 2025
- Citation
- A25025456
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.
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The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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