The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for generalized anxiety disorder was dismissed as the appeal had already been activated into the Board’s Legacy appeals system.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The June 2019 audiometric test results showed that the Veteran met criteria for a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum allowed under DC 6100.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus was denied as it already received the maximum schedular rating authorized under Diagnostic Code 6260.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for type II diabetes mellitus was denied. The June 2019 audiometric test results showed that the Veteran met criteria for a 10 percent disability rating, which is the maximum allowed under DC 7913.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 9, 2019 for the award of an increased 100 percent disability rating for coronary artery disease status post myocardial infraction and coronary artery bypass graft surgery was denied. The increase in disability did not meet the one-year criteria.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 9, 2019 for basic eligibility for Dependents’ Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35 was denied as he had a permanent and total service-connected disability from May 9, 2019.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than May 9, 2019 for the grant of special monthly compensation based on housebound criteria was denied as his disabilities did not meet the percentage requirements prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s claims were denied due to lack of evidence meeting the required disability ratings and effective dates under the applicable VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, Coronary Artery Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- December 31, 2019
- Citation
- A19003911
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 A19003911.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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