The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at zero percent, as the audiometric findings do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent. The Veteran has submitted new evidence suggesting his PTSD symptoms are more severe and warrant an increased rating to 70 percent.,Tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent, as there is no higher schedular evaluation available for tinnitus under the Rating Schedule.,Service connection for hypertension is remanded.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's audiometric findings do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating due to his bilateral hearing loss. The current level of impairment does not warrant an increase in rating.,The Veteran has submitted new evidence suggesting his PTSD symptoms are more severe and warrant an increased rating to 70 percent, which is higher than the current 30 percent rating.,There is no higher schedular evaluation available for tinnitus under the Rating Schedule. The Veteran's service-connected tinnitus remains rated at 10 percent.,Service connection for hypertension has been remanded due to new evidence or issues that require further review.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19152814
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (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 19152814.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service-connected. The claims for alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder are remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains under direct service connection theory.
- Denied
The Veteran's hearing loss was rated at 30 percent, the highest non-compensable rating available. The Board found that his hearing loss did not warrant a higher rating based on VA examinations and medical records.
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