Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. The claims of service connection for erectile dysfunction, diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded due to conflicting service records regarding the Veteran's duty station in Korea.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that these conditions were present in service and are related to service.

Service connection is granted for a heart condition, diagnosed as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease. The Veteran's service in Vietnam during the Gulf War era is presumed to have exposed him to herbicide agents, which are associated with ischemic heart diseases like his current condition.,Service connection is denied for bilateral hearing loss. The evidence does not establish that the Veteran has a present disability of bilateral hearing loss.,Service connection is denied for TBI and its residuals. The Veteran's service treatment records do not indicate any head trauma, and there is no indication of such in post-service medical records.,Service connection is remanded for stroke residuals. The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his Gulf War era service.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, but the case of bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment due to his limited communication skills and safety concerns with his hearing impairment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that his preexisting hearing loss did not increase in severity during service and thus no aggravation occurred. The Veteran had a history of hearing acuity issues prior to service but no significant change was noted upon separation.

The Veteran's cause of death, myocardial infarction, is not service-connected as his service-connected conditions did not contribute to his death and no other connection was established.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated at 40 percent, but the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted, and his bilateral hearing loss and rash are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are at least in equipoise as to whether they prevent her from securing or following substantially gainful employment. The Board grants a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's sarcoidosis is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the need for high dose corticosteroids.

The Veteran's claim for service connection to left foot metatarsalgia has been reopened, but the claims for bilateral hearing loss and marijuana use have been denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinea pedis, bilateral hearing loss, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left knee disability, and right thumb disability. The case is being remanded to obtain additional VA examinations and opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss did not manifest to a compensable degree at any time during the appeal period, and therefore, his claim for a compensable initial rating is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to his active military service, and therefore grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus. Service connection is established for both conditions.

The Veteran's claim for right ear hearing loss is denied as he does not meet the auditory threshold criteria for a current disability.,The Veteran's GERD is currently rated noncompensably disabling, and higher ratings are not warranted due to lack of evidence of two or more symptoms warranting a 30 percent rating under Diagnostic Code 7346.,The Veteran's ED is currently rated noncompensably disabling as there is no deformity shown. ,The Veteran's depressive disorder is currently rated noncompensably disabling, and higher ratings are not warranted due to lack of evidence of prostrating attacks averaging one in two months over the last several months.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied as he does not have a current disability.,The Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to February 3, 2014 are denied as the earliest possible effective date has already been assigned.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected obstructive sleep apnea is denied as his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected tinnitus is denied as he has been assigned the maximum schedular rating available under VA regulations.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for service-connected sinusitis is denied as his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for service-connected hypertension is denied as his condition does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability was not incurred in or related to his period of active military service.

An initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to September 19, 2017, was denied. From September 19, 2017, to December 6, 2017, a 10 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss was granted and effective as of December 6, 2017.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected due to in-service noise exposure. The Board found that the Veteran experienced hearing problems during service, which is considered combat-related under 38 U.S.C. § 1154(b).