The Veteran's depressive disorder is related to his service-connected disabilities. His hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to service or any incident therein. The Veteran's left leg being shorter than the right leg is related to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current condition was likely due to multiple situational factors, including physical discomfort on activities, the death of his father, financial stressors, vocational changes and a divorce. The Veteran's functional impairments were considered more associated with his actual physical condition than with his mental health related symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Depressive Disorder NOS, Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Left Leg Shorter than Right Leg, Right Ankle Condition, Right Wrist Condition, Right Knee Condition, Left Leg Sciatica, Right Leg Sciatica
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 12, 2015
- Citation
- 1520314
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 1520314.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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