The veteran's claim for TDIU was denied as the RO had already awarded a 100 percent schedular rating for PTSD, which is considered total disability. The issues of increased ratings for hearing loss and tinnitus are pending.
The deciding factor: The veteran has been granted a 100% schedular rating for his service-connected PTSD, making him totally disabled without the need to consider TDIU based on unemployability due to other service-connected disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- Defective Hearing, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Scars to the Right Thigh and Residuals of Injury to Muscle Group XIV, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 22, 2003
- Citation
- 0309629
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 0309629.
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.
- 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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