The Board denied service connection for obesity and bilateral hearing loss, and remanded claims for hyperlipidemia, diabetes, GERD, hypertension, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, right knee disability, and right ankle disability due to secondary causes.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of direct or secondary service connection for the claimed conditions, as obesity is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes and there was no sufficient evidence linking the other conditions to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus with obesity as an intermediate step.
- Claimed conditions
- obesity, bilateral hearing loss, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, GERD, hypertension, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, right knee disability, right ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2025
- Citation
- A25105119
Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.