Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has denied service connection for hearing loss in the right ear and a dental disability (loss of enamel on teeth). Service connection is remanded for hypertension and peripheral sensory neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings and service connection are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations and the identification of outstanding private treatment records.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's conditions are found to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to inconsistencies in the evaluation results and the need for updated VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the cases of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities for further examination to determine their existence, nature, and etiology. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on several service-connected conditions have been dismissed due to her withdrawal of the appeals.,An issue regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability and that any hearing loss is not related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities, which are related to his military service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable due to the severity of his hearing acuity levels, which do not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's rating schedule.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for a vision disorder, bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), and sleep apnea due to lack of current evidence or inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, abdominal scar, hearing loss, and tinnitus, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's appeals for hypertension and sleep apnea have been dismissed. The remaining issues of service connection for arthritis of the cervical spine, back disability, left hip disability, left knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected as they are related to his active duty service, with consideration given to the conceded noise exposure during service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, PTSD, and Sjogren's syndrome. The decision found that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. For PTSD, the Board noted there was no diagnosis of PTSD in the record. For Sjogren's syndrome, the Board concluded there is insufficient evidence linking it to service.

The rating reduction from 40 percent to 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss, effective July 1, 2016 was improper and the 40 percent rating is restored. The issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 40 percent for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no link between his current hearing disability and military noise exposure. The gap of over 36 years between service separation and diagnosis made it difficult to establish a nexus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability related to her active military service. The Veteran's bilateral plantar fasciitis claim was also denied due to lack of medical evidence linking the condition to her service-connected lumbar myositis.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, ischemic heart disease, and diabetes mellitus, type II due to incomplete records. The Veteran's STRs and SPRs need to be obtained.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, including exposure to noise during active duty. As a result, the claims for service connection have been granted.