Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with reasonable doubt resolving in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability was not incurred during his active duty service and is not otherwise related to service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including muscular disease, loss of vision in the right eye, hearing loss disability, and shrapnel wound disorder. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral eye disability is denied. The Board found no current evidence of a compensable eye disability and the medical opinion was not prejudicial to the Veteran.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and erectile dysfunction are remanded due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination. The claim for special monthly compensation based on loss of use of a creative organ is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral tinnitus is granted. The claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, to include as secondary to medication prescribed for service-connected disabilities, is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's claims are supported by continuity of symptomatology since service. The decision also acknowledges in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension and remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability has been reopened, but the claim remains denied. The right index finger arthritis and associated disability have also been reopened, with a rating of 10% assigned.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus and tinnitus have been granted. However, the remaining claims related to bilateral lower extremity disability, bilateral upper extremity disability, urinary disability, left ankle disability, left knee disability (secondary to left ankle), lower back disability (secondary to left ankle), bilateral hearing loss, and residuals of a ruptured ear drum have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is found to have started during service and has continued since then, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with mixed depression and anxiety), tinnitus, but denied service connection for residuals of a TBI, bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, a back disorder, residuals of burns on the neck, and migraines.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to noise exposure during active duty, finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Veteran's compound hyperopic astigmatism with presbyopia is denied as not related to service.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and an examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The right knee and left knee disability claims are remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board denied the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to lack of new and material evidence. The appellant did not have a current psychiatric disability or any chronic psychiatric disorder at any point during the pendency of his claim.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss was granted with an effective date of January 27, 2010.,Service connection for tinnitus was granted with an effective date of May 14, 2007.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and missing VA treatment records, which may affect the determination of whether the Veteran's current hearing loss is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, neck disorder, low back disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sinus congestion (allergy syndrome), and obstructive sleep apnea were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disability or etiology for these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for temporary total rating due to surgical treatment and convalescence of the right knee disability was also denied.