The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Veteran's tinnitus and migraines are granted, with a 50% initial disability rating assigned. Service connection for lumbosacral strain is granted effective February 17, 2012, but the Veteran's claim for higher ratings remains pending. Service connection for PTSD is granted with an initial 70% disability rating and TDIU status from February 17, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus was found to have begun in service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection under direct service connection. The Veteran's migraines were rated at 50% based on their severity and impact on daily life. Service connection for lumbosacral strain is granted effective February 17, 2012, but higher ratings remain pending as the evidence does not meet the criteria for a rating higher than 10%. The Veteran's PTSD was found to meet the criteria for service connection under direct service connection and he is granted an initial 70% disability rating with TDIU status effective February 17, 2012.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Lumbosacral Strain, Migraines, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- February 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19109187
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 19109187.
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 claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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