The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The Veteran's CAD does not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 60 percent, and his PTSD meets the criteria for ratings in excess of 30 percent prior to January 15, 2018, and in excess of 70 percent thereafter.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to service exposure. For CAD, the VA examiner did not find evidence of chronic congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction less than 30%. For PTSD, the VA examiner noted intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks and difficulty in understanding complex commands.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, coronary artery disease (CAD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- June 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19146698
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (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 19146698.
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.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- 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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