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
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 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 to remand the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient medical opinions and potential missing service records. The low back disability claim is being remanded because of inadequate VA examination, while the PTSD with depression and anxiety claim requires consideration of recent VA treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a medical opinion addressing whether the Veteran's left eye condition is related to service, as it found that the condition did not preexist service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, related to in-service exposures at Camp Lejeune.
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