The Veteran's claims for service connection for depression, dizziness, and headaches have been denied. The claim for increased evaluation of chronic suppurative otitis media has also been denied as the maximum schedular rating is already assigned. No effective date prior to May 26, 2009, for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish service connection for depression and anxiety on a direct basis due to lack of in-service diagnosis or symptoms. The Veteran's current diagnoses were found to be related to his service-connected disabilities (hearing loss and otitis media).
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Depression and Anxiety), Dizziness, Headaches
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 16, 2010
- Citation
- 1043008
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 1043008.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for obstructive sleep apnea and headaches, finding that the evidence does not support a finding of persistent daytime hypersomnolence or other manifestations consistent with a compensable disability rating under the criteria established by Diagnostic Codes. The matter is remanded to obtain additional information from the Veteran regarding his headaches and their impact on his daily life.
- Granted
The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to PTSD, but his headaches are denied due to lack of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's headaches, which manifested as very frequent and prolonged attacks causing severe economic inadaptability, are granted a 50 percent disability rating for the entire period on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for a 30 percent disability rating for his service-connected headaches, which was awarded with a noncompensable rating at 0 percent. The Board is remanding the claim due to inadequate examination and the need for a new VA examination to evaluate the severity of the Veteran's headaches without considering the ameliorating effects of any medication.
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