The Veteran's claim for service connection for a head laceration with loss of consciousness is denied. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) are pending as additional evidence may be needed to establish the presence or etiology of these conditions. Service connection for coronary artery disease secondary to PTSD remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's STRs do not contain any mention of a head injury, and he did not seek medical treatment for his alleged injury upon discharge from service. The VA examiner found no evidence of a current respiratory disorder related to service. The Veteran's psychiatric disorders are currently diagnosed as depression and PTSD, but the VA examiner could not provide an opinion on whether these conditions were caused by service without resorting to speculation.
- Claimed conditions
- Head laceration with loss of consciousness, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Respiratory disorder (claimed as pneumonia with residual bronchitis), Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder, Coronary artery disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2014
- Citation
- 1422437
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 1422437.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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