The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of evidence supporting the claimed conditions and their relationship to service or service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred in service, tinnitus is related to noise exposure, alcohol abuse, hypertension, heart disorder, and anxiety disorder are not proximately due to a service-connected disease or injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Tinnitus, Respiratory Disorder (presumed due to asbestos exposure), Alcohol Abuse (secondary to PTSD), Hypertension (secondary to PTSD), Heart Disorder (secondary to PTSD), Anxiety Disorder (secondary to PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 10, 2013
- Citation
- 1318741
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 1318741.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- 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.
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