Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hearing loss in his right ear. The claim for service connection is not granted as there is no current disability meeting VA criteria.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection for IBS, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, GERD and hiatal hernia, and impotency. The claims are being reviewed again due to incomplete or insufficient opinions in previous evaluations.

The Board has received new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, which was previously denied in March 2002. The Veteran's appeal is granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating determinations due to new evidence being added to the record.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied. The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus, as well as separate ratings for various manifestations of diabetes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate rationale in the December 2017 VA addendum opinion. A new VA examination is needed to address the Veteran's exposure to acoustic trauma during service, his testimony regarding such exposure, and the May 2017 private audiologist's medical opinion.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's pre-existing hearing loss did not worsen during his active duty service and is clear and unmistakable.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for lost cognitive function to include memory loss, bilateral lower and upper extremity neurological disorders, vasomotor rhinitis, headache, and bilateral hearing loss have all been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of these conditions during or after the Veteran's military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but remanded the issue of service connection for bladder cancer due to potential exposure to radiation during service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for hypertension was reopened and granted. The appeal for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, IHD, DM, and PTSD remains pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss did not manifest during service or within one year of separation and is not otherwise related to service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss has been denied. The Board has also remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus due to outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of proper notification regarding scheduled VA examinations. The AOJ is instructed to verify the Veteran's current address, schedule him for an appropriate VA examination, and readjudicate his claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has not been found to warrant a higher initial disability rating, as the audiometric evaluations have consistently shown no more than noncompensable levels of hearing impairment.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service due to noise exposure.