The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is reopened and granted.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.,Service connection for a skin disorder affecting the hands and feet (presumptive due to Agent Orange exposure) is denied.,A rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is denied.,Total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.
The deciding factor: New and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.,The evidence is at least in relative equipoise as to whether the Veteran’s tinnitus is related to his active service.,There is no indication that the Veteran had a skin disorder during the period on appeal, and there is no current diagnosis of a skin disorder.,PTSD symptoms have not manifested total occupational and social impairment.,The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work experience.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, skin disorder affecting hands and feet
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19101645
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19101645.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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