The Veteran's claims for high blood pressure, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (diagnosed as PTSD and major depressive disorder) have been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence.,The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and major depressive disorder), finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: For tinnitus, the Veteran's in-service noise exposure was noted, along with his current diagnosis of recurrent tinnitus. The Board found this evidence raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,For PTSD and major depressive disorder, the Veteran reported an in-service stressor related to identifying bodies after a tank accident. A VA examiner confirmed the stressor's validity and provided a diagnosis of PTSD with dysphoria.
- Claimed conditions
- high blood pressure, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD and major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19104713
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,249 · Granted: 37% (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 19104713.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
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