The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened and granted, with a current rating of 30 percent.,Service connection is established for PTSD, currently rated at 30 percent. The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating remains pending.
The deciding factor: The Veteran presented credible evidence showing his in-service exposure to acoustic trauma during combat service, which led to the development of bilateral hearing loss and PTSD. His symptoms have been consistent with the criteria for a 50% disability rating under Diagnostic Code 9411.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- July 5, 2016
- Citation
- 1626653
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 1626653.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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