Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service connection claims for a sleep disorder, bilateral hearing loss, low back disorder, left knee disability, and right knee disability have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have any of these conditions at the time of his claim or since.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephrolithiasis, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity are being remanded as there is no current diagnosis in the record.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic nephrolithiasis is being remanded as there is no current diagnosis in the record.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity is being remanded as there is no current diagnosis in the record.,The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction associated with residuals of prostate adenocarcinoma is being remanded due to outstanding VA records from his wife and need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for residuals of prostate adenocarcinoma, evaluated as 20 percent disabling is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to March 13, 2012 and in excess of 20 percent thereafter for diabetes mellitus is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for peripheral neuropathy for the right upper extremity is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for peripheral neuropathy for the left upper extremity is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being remanded as there are outstanding records from his wife and need for a VA examination.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for major depressive disorder associated with residuals of prostate adenocarcinoma is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and review of recent hospitalization records.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability is being remanded as there are no current audiometric findings in the record.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension (high blood pressure) is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and consideration of his medication.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions began during service or were related to in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's initial claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing loss is only at Level I, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and remanded the cases of hearing loss and skin disability for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the underlying claims are being remanded due to additional evidence and functional impairment issues.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are due to in-service acoustic trauma. Service connection was denied for perforated eardrum as there is no current disability.

The Board has granted the reopening of claims for service connection for tinnitus, deviated septum, barotrauma of the left ear, sinusitis, and left ear hearing loss. Service connection is also granted for fibromyalgia but denied for chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Board has decided that a new VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's current diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as whether these conditions are related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development and lack of evidence. The Veteran is asked to provide additional information about his theories of entitlement.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability and denied service connection for BPPV. The Veteran's painful scars of the left thigh are rated at 20 percent, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased rating of PTSD, service connection for erectile dysfunction, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to lack of updated medical records and need for further examinations.

The Board has not found a current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss, and the Veteran's claim for service connection is denied. The left ear hearing loss claim is remanded due to inadequate opinion in the VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to his military service. However, it denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The claim for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus has been reopened, but denied. The claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbosacral strain disability is remanded. The claim for service connection of a sleep disorder (including sleep apnea) is also remanded.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.,The Veteran's superficial and nonlinear right lower extremity scar is rated at 10 percent, but the painful scar remains noncompensable.

The appeal of service connection for malaise and fatigue, independent of service-connected CAD, is denied.,Service connection for hypertension secondary to coronary artery disease (CAD) is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss. Tinnitus is linked to in-service noise exposure. Left ear hearing loss is also linked to in-service noise exposure. Right ear hearing loss worsened during service but the increase was not due to natural progression.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of right foot bunion was granted. The claims for residuals of right hand fracture, scar of the nose (residuals of nasal fracture), and left foot bunion were denied. Bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied prior to June 30, 2008 due to his combined rating not meeting the schedular requirements. However, from April 19, 2011 onwards, a TDIU was granted as his combined rating met the criteria for consideration of a schedular TDIU. The Board referred the issue from June 30, 2008 to April 18, 2011 for extraschedular consideration.