The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD is granted. The Veteran's fear of losing his life during the USS Enterprise fire is considered a contributing factor in his current diagnosis.,COPD due to asbestos exposure is dismissed.
The deciding factor: The March 2017 VA examiner conceded acoustic trauma based on the Veteran’s military occupational specialty as an aviation structural mechanic, and found that tinnitus was incurred during active service due to in-service noise exposure.,Both the March 2017 VA examiner and January 2017 private examiner offered positive nexus opinions linking the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder to his in-service traumatic incident aboard the USS Enterprise. The Board finds both medical opinions adequate as they are based on an accurate medical history and provide explanations that contain clear conclusions with supporting data.,The Veteran requested to withdraw his claim of service connection for COPD due to asbestos exposure during the July 2019 hearing.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder to include unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19177534
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 19177534.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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