The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is not currently diagnosed for VA purposes, and the Board finds service connection is denied.,Service connection for an anxiety disorder is granted as it is etiologically related to his service-connected tinnitus.,There is no current diagnosis of OSA during the appeal period, so service connection for this condition is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right ear hearing loss did not meet the criteria for a disability for VA purposes as evidenced by normal audiometric findings and lack of evidence of hearing loss in any frequency range.,Service connection was granted on a secondary basis to his service-connected tinnitus, which is etiologically related to his anxiety disorder.,There is no current diagnosis of OSA during the appeal period, thus failing the threshold requirement for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Ear Hearing Loss, Anxiety Disorder, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 3, 2026
- Citation
- A26010131
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 A26010131.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to service connection for vertigo and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran's hearing loss is not rated higher than 10 percent.
- Denied
The Board denied eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a March 2024 rating decision because the March 2024 rating decision was an initial decision granting service connection for anxiety disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for OSA and insomnia must be remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and opinions, as well as a failure to obtain TERA opinions on all relevant exposures.
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