The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss is dismissed. His petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is granted, and the claim is granted. The Veteran’s petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied. The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of entitlement to service connection for tinnitus is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his petition to reopen his hearing loss claim in November 2018, and the October 2008 denial of residuals of TBI was final. New evidence from an August 2012 VA examination raised a reasonable possibility that the Veteran may prevail on his claim for residuals of TBI.
- Claimed conditions
- hearing loss, residuals of TBI, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type), tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19184704
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (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 19184704.
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.
- 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.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.