The Veteran's claims for PTSD, tinnitus, and TBI residuals have been granted. The Board found that the Veteran has a diagnosis of PTSD due to an in-service personal assault, his tinnitus is related to in-service acoustic trauma, and there is credible supporting evidence of the claimed stressor.
The deciding factor: The VA opinions were not probative as they relied on the lack of contemporaneous medical evidence without considering the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuous symptoms. The competent and credible lay statements supported the presence of tinnitus since service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Tinnitus, Residuals of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 13, 2021
- Citation
- 21029238
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 21029238.
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 claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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