The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and his PTSD with alcohol dependence is currently rated at 70 percent.,While the Veteran seeks an increased rating for his PTSD, the current rating of 70 percent adequately reflects the severity of his symptoms.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s PTSD with alcohol dependence results in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas as per Diagnostic Code 9411. The criteria for a higher rating are not met.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19166799
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 19166799.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for asbestosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was also denied a compensable rating.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities and denied higher ratings for several service-connected conditions.
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