The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied a compensable rating for the Veteran's service-connected left hand injury ring finger. The claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, degenerative disc disease, left cubital tunnel syndrome, and left elbow strain were remanded.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the evidence showing that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss had its onset during his active service, while there was no evidence to support a compensable rating for the ring finger due to DC 5230 limitations. The claims for other conditions were remanded for further development.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral hearing loss, Left hand injury (ring finger), Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and major depressive disorder recurrent moderate with anxious distress, Degenerative disc disease (cervical and cervicothoracic condition), Left cubital tunnel syndrome (left radial ulnar radicular pain and paresthesia), Left elbow strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 0%
- Decision date
- October 6, 2025
- Citation
- A25086098
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 913 · Granted: 41% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25086098.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral pes planus with hammer toes, hallux valgus and degenerative arthritis, sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and bilateral kidney cysts, rendered him unable to secure or follow gainful employment. The Board granted the TDIU based on these conditions.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus) do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
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