The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, heart condition, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia). The decision found no new evidence to reopen the claim for bilateral hearing loss. Service connection was not granted for the heart condition or acquired psychiatric disorders due to lack of a medical link to service.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his military service, particularly given conflicting medical opinions and the passage of time since separation from service.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Heart Condition, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18141176
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 18141176.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- 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.
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