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
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, entitlement to TDIU, and SMC based on housebound status.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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