The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and an unspecified anxiety disorder. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claims for high cholesterol, bilateral eye disorders, gastrointestinal disorder (including acid reflux), and skin disorder are denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection was established based on credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors related to the Veteran's fear of hostile military activity during service in Vietnam, which confirmed a diagnosis of PTSD. The VA psychologist provided an assessment that supported the Veteran's diagnoses of anxiety and PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- High Cholesterol, Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Bilateral Eye Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorder (including Acid Reflux), Skin Disorder (including Skin Cancer of the face, a lump/growth on the left leg, and a fatty tumor on the back)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 19, 2017
- Citation
- 1728081
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 1728081.
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.
- 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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