Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his military noise exposure during active service.

The Veteran's intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, cervical spine disorder, left knee disorder, left foot disorder, OSA, and dermatitis are all granted as service-connected. The conditions were presumed to have been incurred in service due to exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that there is at least a 50% likelihood that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, thus granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The Board found that the evidence was in equipoise regarding whether these conditions were related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new allegations of worsening symptoms since the last examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and psoriasis, but dismissed the claims for bilateral hearing loss, sinusitis, and bilateral knee condition.

The Veteran's service connection claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss are granted. Tinnitus is considered a direct service connection as it began in service and continues to the present. Bilateral hearing loss is also granted due to its chronic nature noted during service and post-service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and tinnitus has been granted. The Veteran is entitled to a compensable evaluation for his service-connected hypertension.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection of respiratory disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, and generalized arthritis and joint pain have been remanded due to inadequate examination reports. The hearing loss claim remains on appeal.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability as there is no evidence that she currently suffers from a hearing loss disability for VA purposes.

The claim to reopen the service connection for arthritis was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The hearing loss disability is remanded for a new examination.

The Board found no evidence to support service connection for bilateral hearing loss or tinnitus, as the preponderance of the evidence did not show a relationship between these conditions and active service. The Veteran's claims were denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure causing permanent hearing loss and that any current hearing loss did not manifest within one year of separation from active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia and bilateral hearing loss do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, so his claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is caused by his service-connected PTSD.,Evidence received since the October 2002 rating decision relates to a previously unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for several conditions and issues, including increased ratings for TBI and migraine headaches, service connection for sleep apnea, PTSD, a left knee condition, hearing loss, cataracts, diabetes (secondary to service-connected disability), an increased rating for other specified depressive disorder, and entitlement to individual unemployability prior to February 8, 2012. The appeals are dismissed.

The Board previously denied a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss, but the Court remanded it due to insufficient consideration of a recent VA examination. The case is now being sent back to the RO for reconsideration.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability. The Veteran's claim for tinnitus is granted based on the reasonable doubt in his favor regarding its onset during service.,The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome are both granted, with the latter being considered part of the former due to overlapping symptoms.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, as well as his claims for SMC based on housebound criteria or aid and attendance, and TDIU are inextricably intertwined with his earlier effective date claim for a 70 percent rating for PTSD. Therefore, these issues are being remanded.