The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder was reopened and granted. The right ear hearing loss disability is also granted, while the left ear hearing loss disability and tinnitus are denied.,Service connection for major depressive disorder is granted as secondary to coronary artery disease.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by his service-connected heart disability, leading to a grant of service connection on this basis.,There was no in-service hearing loss and no manifestation within one year post-service. However, the Board found the evidence in equipoise regarding whether the right ear hearing loss is related to military noise exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, left ear hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19123124
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 317 · Granted: 19% (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 19123124.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
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