The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and anxiety disorder with depressive disorder are denied. The claim for sleep apnea is remanded.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD under DSM-5, and there is no corroborating evidence of the claimed in-service stressor. For hearing loss, the Veteran's current audiometric results do not meet VA disability criteria. The Veteran's anxiety disorder with depressive disorder currently meets the criteria for a 50% rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Hearing Loss, Unspecified Anxiety Disorder with Unspecified Depressive Disorder, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- April 8, 2026
- Citation
- A26032505
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 A26032505.
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 Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
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