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
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for depressive disorder as secondary to hypertension and tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
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