The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable, and the claim for an initial compensable rating is denied.,For accrued benefits purposes, a higher than 20 percent rating for residuals of Muscle Group II injury involving the right chest wall is not granted. The current rating remains at 20 percent.,The Veteran's PTSD was rated as 50 percent since May 9, 2012, and a higher than 50 percent rating is denied.
The deciding factor: The audiometric findings did not meet the criteria for any compensable ratings under VA regulations. The Veteran’s hearing loss disability does not significantly impact his ability to function in daily life.,The July 2017 and April 2021 VA examinations indicated that the Veteran's right chest injury had no significant functional impairment, as he could still perform his job with appropriate amplification for his hearing loss. The current rating of 20 percent is deemed sufficient given the Veteran’s ability to work.,The June 2020 examination noted an increase in severity of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and a slight improvement in speech recognition scores, but these changes did not warrant a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Hearing Loss, Muscle Group II Injury involving the right chest wall, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2022
- Citation
- 22071185
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 22071185.
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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.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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