Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of a head disability, an insect bite, and right ear hearing loss. The claim for reopening of the right ear hearing loss is granted. Service connection for a back disability and a right knee disability are denied. The case is remanded for further examination regarding bilateral hearing loss, left ankle disability, and acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD).

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection, as is a 10% rating for his laceration of the left finger.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and right knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development.

The Board granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for plantar warts, bilateral hearing loss, and gout and bilateral arthritis. The decision found that the Veteran's current conditions were not related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied reopening the claim for duodenal ulcer disease. The Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are considered to be related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied an increased rating for tinnitus. Bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure, while the Veteran's tinnitus is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure, but no new rating or effective date was assigned.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current level of hearing acuity does not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable (zero percent) throughout the appeal period, based on audiometric test results.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected due to in-service noise exposure. Service connection for PTSD and depression is granted, with the stressor of military sexual trauma (MST) being accepted based on corroborating evidence from other sources. The Veteran's traumatic arthritis of the spine is granted at a 20 percent rating effective May 14, 2014.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted prior to August 30, 2010, due to his service-connected disabilities. From that date onwards, the SMC award mooted any further TDIU claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Veteran's claim for a TDIU due solely to PTSD with alcohol use disorder is granted.

The Board has determined that the appellant's service from October 28, 1976 to April 17, 1978 was dishonorable for VA purposes due to a pattern of willful and persistent misconduct. The appeal is remanded to determine if there was clear and unmistakable error in the previous determination.

The Veteran's right-ear hearing loss was incurred during her first period of active service, which she left honorably. The Board granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected.,PTSD was granted a rating of 70 percent effective September 9, 2011.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability is not related to his military service. However, the Board granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus, as it was at least as likely as not related to acoustic trauma during service.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the lack of updated treatment records and an outdated VA examination. A new examination is needed to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is denied as it did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period and continuity of symptomatology is not established. The disability is also not otherwise etiologically related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

The Board has remanded several claims due to the need for additional evidence and examinations. The Veteran's service-connected conditions include migraine headaches, a left forehead laceration, tinea pedis of the bilateral feet, gout, sleep apnea, multiple painful joints, allergies, bilateral knee swelling with pain, bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a bilateral ankle injury, an upper and lower back disorder, and tinnitus. The claims are remanded for further development including obtaining SSA records, VA treatment records, and examinations.

The Veteran's previously denied skin disorder claim is reopened, and service connection for a lower back disability is granted. Service connection for psychiatric disorders, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are denied.