The Board has granted a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD, effective from February 2002. The veteran's tinnitus is rated at 10 percent since January 1994. His left ear hearing loss is rated at zero percent since July 1971. The residuals of the mortar fragment wound to the left forearm are also rated at zero percent.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the veteran's PTSD symptoms, including a depressed and anxious mood, warranted a 70 percent evaluation under Diagnostic Code 9411. His tinnitus was rated at 10 percent based on the Maryland CNC test results. The left ear hearing loss is currently rated as zero percent due to the presence of binaural hearing aids. The residuals from the mortar fragment wound are also rated as zero percent.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Tinnitus, Left Ear Hearing Loss, Residuals of a Mortar Fragment Wound to the Left Forearm
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 31, 2004
- Citation
- 0408315
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 0408315.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 27, 2019 for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no earlier claim document in the claims file and the Veteran did not timely perfect an appeal.
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