The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for GERD, and an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for insomnia disorder with anxious distress.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish that the Veteran had a current hearing loss disability during the appeal period or that his GERD symptoms were productive of considerable impairment of health. For the insomnia disorder, the symptoms more nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as flattened affect, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances; more severe occupational and social impairment was not shown.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss disability, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Insomnia disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 10, 2025
- Citation
- A25033475
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 matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to a lack of jurisdiction.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability as the evidence did not support a nexus between the disability and service.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
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