The veteran's claims for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are not well grounded. The claim for recurrent left ankle sprain is well grounded, but further development is needed to determine if service connection can be established. Claims for sinus disorder and joint/muscle pain as due to an undiagnosed illness are not well grounded.
The deciding factor: The veteran has not submitted sufficient evidence of current diagnoses or in-service stressors for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, respectively. The VA examination did not find a diagnosis of PTSD but noted symptoms consistent with anger control issues. For the left ankle sprain claim, objective indications were found based on medical history and physical examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Recurrent Left Ankle Sprain, Sinus Disorder (undiagnosed illness), Joint and Muscle Pain (undiagnosed illness)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2000
- Citation
- 0014693
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 0014693.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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