The veteran was granted service connection for PTSD with depression and anxiety, which is related to a verified personal assault in service. His claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, as there is no evidence of such conditions being linked to his military service. The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for residuals of a lower one-third esophagus Mallory-Weiss tear was granted with the current 60% disability rating.
The deciding factor: The veteran provided credible testimony regarding a personal assault in service, which is sufficient to establish a stressor for PTSD. The VA found that there was no evidence linking bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus to his military service. His esophagus condition has been rated at the maximum schedular evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD with depression and anxiety
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- July 14, 2006
- Citation
- 0620538
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (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 0620538.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's skin condition, tinea versicolor, is granted service connection. For PTSD with depression and anxiety prior to October 28, 2020, a 70 percent evaluation is granted; for the period after that date, an evaluation in excess of 50 percent is denied.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for service connection, TDIU, Dependents' Educational Assistance eligibility, and special monthly compensation based on statutory housebound criteria.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran did not have a pending claim for accrued benefits at the time of his death, and has remanded the issue of service connection for the cause of death.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, chronic diarrhea, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy, and PTSD with depression and anxiety, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.
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