The Veteran's service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Board granted a TDIU based on the benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Veteran reported anger and irritability from his service-connected anxiety disorder which made it difficult to maintain employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Anxiety Disorder, Thoracolumbar Spine Disorder (Degenerative Arthritis and Degenerative Disc Disease), Cervical Spine Disorder, Temporomandibular Disorder, Left Shoulder Strain, Right Shoulder Disorder, Right Elbow Strain, Right Wrist Strain, Left Hip Strain, Left Knee Patellofemoral Syndrome, Right Knee Patellofemoral Syndrome, Right Ankle Strain, Bilateral Plantar Fasciitis, Tinnitus, Asthma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Tension Headaches, and Left Leg Sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- December 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19195143
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 19195143.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- 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 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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