Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability is granted as service connected, with doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an eye disability has been reopened and is granted.,Service connection for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence and needs further examination for a determination of service connection.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection of low back condition, pes planus, and PTSD. The claim for left ear hearing loss was granted.

The Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The appeal is granted to this extent only, and the case is remanded for further development including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected, with the Board finding reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected due to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his bilateral hearing loss disability was denied as the audiometric testing results did not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected, as there is no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. A new examination is required.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the issue regarding bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it is related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's degenerative joint disease with bulging disc of the lumbar spine was not caused by, aggravated by, or otherwise etiologically related to an event, disease, or injury in service.,Bilateral hearing loss was not caused by service and did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of service separation.,The Veteran's joint pain is not caused by or otherwise etiologically related to his military service, including as due to an undiagnosed illness.,The Veteran does not have current diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, or a chronic respiratory condition, to include as due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hyperlipidemia, acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and benign prostate hyperplasia with voiding problems due to incomplete VA records and inadequate medical opinions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU were granted effective March 17, 2014. The Board found that there was no evidence of an increase in disability prior to the date of the claim.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis with rotator cuff tendinosis of the left shoulder is denied. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at noncompensable prior to July 18, 2017, and 30 percent thereafter. His initial evaluation for his left shoulder condition remains at 20 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The appeal for service connection of ischemic heart disease is dismissed. The appeals for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD are remanded, as well as the TDIU claim due to the inextricably intertwined nature of these issues.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. Service connection is remanded for bilateral hearing loss and neurological disorder (memory loss).

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to June 22, 2012, for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a bilateral ear condition and granted it, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of nexus between current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.