The veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% disability evaluation effective June 27, 1996. His tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were each assigned noncompensable evaluations. The veteran is entitled to an increased disability evaluation for PTSD from November 16, 1992, but the issue of earlier TDIU effective date prior to June 27, 1996 is moot due to the grant of a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The veteran's PTSD was found to be severe enough to warrant a 70% disability evaluation as of June 27, 1996, based on his symptoms and inability to work. The noncompensable evaluations for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were upheld due to the lack of evidence supporting higher ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 10, 2003
- Citation
- 0304235
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,055 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0304235.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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
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.
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