The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of July 26, 2010 for hearing loss was granted.,An increased rating of 50 percent for PTSD prior to June 1, 2012 was granted.,Increased ratings were denied for PTSD from June 1, 2012 to March 14, 2017 and from March 15, 2017 onwards.,A compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to March 13, 2017 was granted.,Increased ratings were denied for bilateral hearing loss from March 13, 2017 onwards.,Service connection for various disabilities including back disability, left leg and foot disabilities, right leg and foot disabilities, as well as TDIU prior to March 13, 2017 was remanded.

The deciding factor: The Veteran filed a claim for service connection for hearing loss on July 26, 2010. The November 2011 rating decision denying the claim was not final as he filed an NOD in June 2012 contesting both the denial and the assigned rating.,Prior to June 1, 2012, the Veteran's PTSD approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to anxiety, sleep issues, irritability, anger, isolation, and difficulty maintaining effective social and occupational relationships.,From June 1, 2012, to March 14, 2017, the Veteran's PTSD most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. From March 15, 2017 onwards, his symptoms did not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment.,Prior to March 13, 2017, the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss manifested as Level III hearing acuity in both ears. From March 13, 2017 onwards, it manifested with no worse than level VII hearing acuity in the right ear and level VIII hearing acuity in the left ear.,The criteria for a 50 percent rating under the General Rating Formula were met as the Veteran's PTSD symptoms included flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory, impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships.,The criteria for a 70 percent rating under the General Rating Formula were not met as his PTSD symptoms did not include suicidal ideation, obsessive rituals, near-continuous panic or depression affecting ability to function independently, appropriately, and effectively, gross impairment in thought processes or communication, persistent delusions or hallucinations, grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene), disorientation to time or place, memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, and own name.

Claimed conditions

Bilateral Hearing Loss, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Back disability, Left leg disability, Right leg disability, Left foot disability, Right foot disability

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

50%

Decision date

November 2, 2022

Citation

22061434

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 22061434.