The Veteran's tinnitus had its onset in service and is now granted.,Service connection for hypertension was granted effective August 22, 2005. The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date which the Board denied as VA has no authority to grant such a request under current law.,An initial noncompensable rating for hypertension is granted based on the evidence of record showing systolic pressure predominately 160 or more but not 200 or more, or diastolic pressure predominantly 110 or more. The Veteran seeks a higher rating which will be addressed in the remand.,The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of record showing that his hearing loss began during service and he did not submit a claim until after separation from service.,Extraschedular consideration is granted for the Veteran's hypertension, but the issue will be addressed in the remand as it may impact other issues including TDIU.,TDIU is denied as there was no evidence of record showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.

The deciding factor: Service connection for tinnitus can be granted when a veteran has reported ongoing, recurrent symptoms during service and credible lay statements supporting this claim. The Board found in favor of the Veteran on this issue.,The effective date for service connection for hypertension is limited by law to August 22, 2005 as it was the date the Veteran submitted his initial application for service connection. The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date.,An initial noncompensable rating for hypertension is granted based on evidence showing that the Veteran's systolic pressure has been predominantly 160 or more but not 200 or more, and diastolic pressure has been predominantly 110 or more. The Board found in favor of the Veteran on this issue.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of record showing that the Veteran's hearing loss began during service. The Veteran did not submit a claim until after separation from service, which precludes an earlier effective date under VA law.,Extraschedular consideration is granted for hypertension as it involves continuous medication and lower blood pressure readings due to this treatment. However, the issue will be addressed in the remand as it may impact other issues including TDIU.,TDIU is denied as there was no evidence of record showing that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable.

Claimed conditions

tinnitus, hypertension

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

10%

Decision date

April 8, 2016

Citation

1614404

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 1614404.