The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a separate evaluation for psychiatric impairment as a manifestation of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding no current diagnosed mental health disorder that conforms to DSM-5 criteria.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found the Veteran did not have a mental health disorder diagnosis that conforms to DSM-5 criteria and there was no evidence of any psychological condition meeting the DSM criteria for an acquired psychiatric disorder or anxiety/depression.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric Impairment
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21064581
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 21064581.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to warrant readjudication of the claims for service connection for psychiatric impairment and HIV. The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the nature and etiology of these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of a higher rating for TBI, service connection for psychiatric impairment as secondary to TBI, and TDIU. The Veteran will need to provide SSA records and undergo new examinations to determine the current severity of her TBI and whether her stomach problems and blurred vision are residuals of her TBI. An opinion is also needed regarding whether her psychological impairment is at least as likely as not proximately due to or aggravated by service-connected TBI.
- Granted
The Veteran's psychiatric impairment, including PTSD, is rated at 50 percent prior to September 12, 2014. A higher rating of 70 or 100 percent is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss is granted from December 9, 2019. However, the issue of whether a separate evaluation for psychiatric impairment as a manifestation of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded.
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