Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, including asbestosis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of a disease or injury in service, and the Veteran's claim is not supported by medical opinion.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to April 2, 2015 was denied. Effective from April 2, 2015, the Veteran is assigned a 10% disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and opinion regarding the cause of death and service connection for PTSD. The DIC claim is denied as the Veteran did not meet the eligibility requirements under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's periods of active duty training (ACDUTRA) and/or inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA). The Veteran needs to provide authorization for VA to obtain any private treatment records, and a VA audiological addendum opinion is needed to determine if his left ear hearing loss had its clinical onset during service or is related to any in-service disease, event, or injury.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 70 percent rating, effective November 8, 2010. A TDIU based on service-connected PTSD is also granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a VA audiological examination.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected, with the Board finding that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The claims for service connection have been reopened, and the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are now granted. The remaining issues related to right knee disability, bilateral pes planus, right ankle disability, left ankle disability, tinea pedis, hypertension, migraine headaches, and sinus condition are remanded for further development.

The application to reopen the previously denied claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is granted. The claim for service connection for PTSD with secondary alcohol and cannabis dependence is granted, but a rating greater than 50 percent is remanded. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is also remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration, including obtaining VA treatment records from January 2001 to April 2018.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as they require further examination and medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus is granted, and the case is remanded for a new rating decision on his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the Veteran is not entitled to a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and was not entitled to an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for right wrist CTS.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as there was no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disorder, and left knee disability. The decision was based on a lack of evidence showing these conditions had their onset during active service or were otherwise related to service.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss, right knee disorder, hepatitis C, and liver disorder due to the lack of evidence showing a current disability or a link between these conditions and active duty service. The claims are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for prostate disability and numbness of the fingers as secondary to a service-connected lumbar spine disability was denied. However, his claim of service connection for depression due to a service-connected lumbar spine disability is granted.