The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of February 5, 2016 for a 70 percent disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran is also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from September 21, 2012.
The deciding factor: The effective date of the increased rating for bilateral hearing loss was fixed in accordance with the facts found and should not be earlier than February 5, 2016 when the Veteran first indicated his worsening hearing acuity.,The Veteran is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities including ischemic heart disease, PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, ischemic heart disease, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), residuals of inguinal hernia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20003299
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,456 · Granted: 23% (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 20003299.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart condition, including ischemic heart disease. The evidence did not support a finding of a current disability related to service.
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