The Board has denied service connection for various conditions including bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, lower back disability, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety disorder, insomnia, head pain (also claimed as sores on the head), and flat feet (also claimed as irritation feet) due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is no persuasive evidence showing that any of the Veteran's current disabilities began during his military service or are otherwise related to in-service injuries, events, or diseases.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Left Knee Disability, Lower Back Disability, Sleep Apnea, Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Insomnia, Head Pain (also claimed as sores on the head), Flat Feet (also claimed as irritation feet)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2026
- Citation
- A26007745
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 A26007745.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral knee disabilities are not related to his active service, and thus denied both claims for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
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