The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disability, bilateral hearing loss, arthritis due to trauma with joint pain, left shoulder disability, right elbow disability, left elbow disability, right wrist disability, left wrist disability, right ankle disability, and left ankle disability are all granted. The service connection is determined to be direct.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's reported stressors related to his in-service combat service were found credible by the Board, and a nexus between the diagnosed PTSD with anxiety and depression and the claimed in-service stressor was established based on medical evidence from the DBQ examination for evaluation of residuals of TBI. For hearing loss, the audiometric thresholds did not meet the criteria for a hearing loss disability as defined under 38 C.F.R. § 3.385. For arthritis due to trauma with joint pain, there is no indication that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of this condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and anxiety disability), Bilateral hearing loss, Arthritis due to trauma with joint pain, Left shoulder disability, Right elbow disability, Left elbow disability, Right wrist disability, Left wrist disability, Right ankle disability, Left ankle disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 26, 2020
- Citation
- 20021768
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 20021768.
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 the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right elbow disability and a nasal disability, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease resulting in these conditions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
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