The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right Achilles tendon injury, diabetes mellitus, fatigue, bilateral hearing loss, heart disorder (tachycardia), post-traumatic migraine headaches, sleep apnea, and vasovagal near-syncope, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his right Achilles tendon injury, diabetes mellitus, fatigue, bilateral hearing loss, heart disorder (tachycardia), post-traumatic migraine headaches, sleep apnea, and vasovagal near-syncope, have significantly impacted his ability to work.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Diabetes Mellitus, Fatigue, Heart Disorder (Tachycardia), Post-Traumatic Migraine Headaches, Right Achilles Tendon, Sleep Apnea, Vasovagal Near-Syncope and Syncope
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193134
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,421 · Granted: 29% (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 19193134.
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.
- 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 Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, finding that the evidence did not support a link between the condition and service.
- 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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