The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected. The Board finds insufficient evidence to support a finding of current bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes.,For the entirety of the appeal period, the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD have not been met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's right ear hearing loss does not meet the requirements for a disability under VA regulations. The March 2017 examiner found no evidence of current bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran’s symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they do not include suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, speech intermittently illogical or irrelevant, near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control, spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; or difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Cardiovascular disorder (to include a myocardial infarction), Cerebrovascular ischemic stroke, Diabetes mellitus, type II (DM II), Hypertension, Colon cancer, Gastrointestinal disorder (including diverticulitis), Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19128825
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · Granted: 26% (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 19128825.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
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