The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a chronic disease in service or within one year of service, and there is no evidence of continuity of symptoms since service.,For PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, the Veteran received an initial 70% rating effective December 23, 2015. However, his claim for an earlier effective date was denied as he did not submit a timely appeal or provide new and material evidence within one year of the October 2012 denial.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's tinnitus is not related to service due to lack of in-service onset and no continuity of symptoms. For PTSD, the Board found that his current symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 100% rating as he does not have persistent delusions or hallucinations.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19123706
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,454 · 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 19123706.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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