The Board granted earlier effective dates and initial ratings for muscle tension headaches, sleep apnea, and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress, but denied a higher rating for sleep apnea and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress. The Board also granted an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and denied a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's muscle tension headaches, sleep apnea, and unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress are considered to be very frequent completely prostrating and prolonged attacks productive of severe economic inadaptability, warranting the highest schedular ratings. The evidence does not support a higher rating for sleep apnea or an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, diverticulitis with diarrhea, hypertension, left lower extremity nerve condition, lumbar spine disability, muscle tension headaches, radiation disability manifested by lung/breathing difficulties (claimed as exposure to radiation), right wrist disability, sleep apnea, unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- July 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25058412
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,828 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A25058412.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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