The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD with depressive disorder were denied. The claim for an earlier effective date for the 70% evaluation of PTSD was also denied. The Board found that new and material evidence is not required to reopen these claims, as they have never become final.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service connection claims were denied due to lack of clear and unmistakable evidence showing a pre-existing condition aggravated by service or a current disability related to in-service noise exposure for hearing loss. For PTSD, the Board found that there was no causal relationship between service and current symptoms based on the absence of frequency-specific testing indicating a compensable degree of hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147498
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,156 · Granted: 29% (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 19147498.
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.
- 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 claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss claim, specifically needing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The Veteran will be asked to provide any missing records and former employers' information.
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