Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeals for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is determined to be service-connected, with the Board resolving reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of in-service evidence of a hearing disability, but acknowledges that there is credible evidence of acoustic trauma due to significant noise exposure during service. The Veteran will be afforded a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection of various conditions, including memory loss, bilateral hearing loss, sinus disability, skin disability, and increased ratings for chronic lower back pain with degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, and chronic nonallergic rhinitis. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to service connection for a left knee disability.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest in service or within one year post-service, and there is no evidence of noise exposure during service. However, the Veteran has been granted secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied due to lack of manifestation in service and failure to meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his increased evaluation of bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that no evidence showed a worsening in the condition prior to October 24, 2014.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a T12 compression fracture, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence or further development is needed.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of higher ratings for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for ischemic heart disease and hypertension. The AOJ must obtain any outstanding private treatment records and schedule appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. The conditions are found to be at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure during his time as a combat medic in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, pain disorder, and erectile dysfunction have been denied.,The Board found that the evidence did not establish a current disability for some of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss is due to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 0 percent since November 2014. The most recent audiometric evaluations show no improvement in the condition, and thus a compensable rating is denied.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus due to potential issues with the reliability of audiometric testing results from a previous VA examination. The examiner is requested to provide an opinion on whether the current disabilities are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and hypertension (secondary to service-connected coronary artery disease) need further examination and evaluation. The case is being sent back to VA for a new examination.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss was denied. Prior to May 8, 2018, a rating in excess of 0 percent was not warranted due to the severity of his hearing acuity levels. From May 8, 2018, a rating in excess of 20 percent was also not warranted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted service connection. The claim for Meniere’s disease secondary to service-connected tinnitus is remanded.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but denied them both. The claim for dental disorder to include residuals of mouth surgery was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder including PTSD is remanded.