The Veteran's claim for migraines is granted with an effective date of October 19, 2010.,The Veteran's claims for vertigo, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are granted with a combined effective date of October 19, 2010. The rating assigned is 30 percent for vertigo, 10 percent for tinnitus, and no rating for bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection for PTSD is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for migraines is denied.,TDIU prior to November 10, 2010 is granted with an effective date of October 19, 2010.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied.,Service connection for alcohol abuse is denied.,Service connection for multiple sclerosis is denied.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is denied.,Service connection for Sjogren’s syndrome is denied.,Service connection for Hughes disease is denied.,Service connection for seizures is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's vertigo, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss were found to more closely approximate symptoms of dizziness and occasional staggering, warranting a rating of 30 percent under DC 6204. The Veteran was also granted service connection for recurrent tinnitus with a separate 10 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- migraines, vertigo, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- June 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19146507
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,836 · Granted: 31% (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 19146507.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for migraines was reopened due to new evidence. Service connection is granted for painful scars, but the rating assigned remains at 10 percent. The claims for fibromyalgia and bilateral shoulder disability are denied.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- 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.
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