The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was shown to warrant a 10 percent rating March 28, 2016, but no earlier. The criteria for a rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss have not been met.,The weight of the competent evidence of record is against a finding that the Veteran has depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood as a result of his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence showing a nexus between the Veteran's current psychiatric disabilities and his in-service treatment. The VA examiner could not provide an opinion without resort to speculation due to lack of available records from post-service treatment.,The Veteran has not provided credible evidence that he experienced symptoms related to his claimed conditions during service or within one year after separation, which is required for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Depressive Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified), Anxiety Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified), Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2017
- Citation
- 1724642
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 1724642.
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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.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current hearing loss and his active service. The Board noted that while he had complaints of earaches in service, these did not indicate a current disability.
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