The veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for PTSD, bilateral tinnitus, cervical and lumbar spine disabilities, sleep apnea, left ear hearing loss, and service connection for hypertension and post concussion syndrome with headaches and short term memory loss were denied.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a finding of worsening or increased severity of the veteran's conditions that would warrant higher ratings under VA's rating schedule.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, Bilateral tinnitus, Status post cervical fusion with spondylosis with retrolisthesis, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the right knee, Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the left knee, Sleep apnea, Hypertension, Post concussion syndrome with headaches and short term memory loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 4, 2008
- Citation
- 0811207
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 680 · Granted: 24% (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 0811207.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
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