The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and initial ratings for diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease (CAD) were denied.
The deciding factor: Service connection for PTSD was established based on the Veteran’s combat service. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not found to be related to service due to lack of in-service evidence and conflicting medical opinions regarding their onset.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, Diabetes Mellitus, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19186140
Veterans Law Judge
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 19186140.
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.
- 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.
- Granted
Service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is granted. The appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction is dismissed.
- 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.
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