The Board denied higher ratings for nose scarring, hearing loss, and tinnitus but granted a 100 percent rating for unspecified bipolar and related disorder effective August 22, 2008.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a higher rating for the nose scarring or hearing loss due to the lack of characteristics of disfigurement or gross distortion, while the Veteran's mental health disability met the criteria for a 100 percent rating based on his symptoms and functional impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Residual scar, squamous cell carcinoma, left side of nose, Unspecified bipolar and related disorder, Bilateral hearing loss, Bilateral recurrent tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 27, 2025
- Citation
- A25028540
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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 claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss to obtain an addendum opinion addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service acoustic trauma and a rocket blast injury.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
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