Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the current disability element and in-service element have been met, and affords the benefit of doubt to the Veteran's claim due to his credible reports of ringing in his ears during and after active service.

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

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as service-connected. Hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder are denied as not related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of an addendum medical opinion considering recent literature on delayed-onset hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically questioning whether these conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's right wrist disability is rated at 10 percent, but no higher. The bilateral pes planus with arthritis and heel spurs was granted a 10 percent rating prior to December 17, 2014, and denied any increase thereafter. Bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, as they are presumed to have been incurred during his active military service due to noise exposure.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 20 percent effective December 12, 2016. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to that date is denied.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability, left foot disability, and bilateral hearing loss. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was granted but the issue is recharacterized as PTSD.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (likely PTSD) is granted.

The claim of whether new and material evidence was received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension is dismissed.,Entitlement to service connection for a heart condition, to include atrial fibrillation (claimed as ischemic heart disease, heart disease, and coronary artery disease) is dismissed.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected disabilities and their impact on his ability to work.

The Board has remanded the case to refer the Veteran's claim for increased evaluations for his bilateral hearing loss disability to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration, specifically considering whether a higher rating is warranted due to social isolation caused by his hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for other stress-related disorder/panic disorder, but denied the claims for right ear hearing loss and sleep disorder.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The claims for residuals of a perforated left ear drum, sleep disorder (including sleep apnea), and psychiatric disability (including posttraumatic stress disorder) are also remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, left foot disability, and left ankle disability due to insufficient service dates provided. The appellant is seeking service connection for these conditions based on in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's applications to reopen his claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is at least a 50% likelihood that these conditions began during service or are related to in-service noise exposure. The Veteran now has service-connected disabilities for both tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is service-connected as it was caused by noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding these conditions being related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus for accrued benefits purposes, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and SMC based on Aid and Attendance/Housebound.

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