Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted as new and material evidence has been received. The case is remanded due to incomplete service treatment records and inadequate VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for psychiatric disorder, respiratory disorder, and low back disability due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of TDIU prior to February 5, 2010 was denied as the evidence did not show that he was unemployable due solely to his service-connected disabilities before this date.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected due to exposure to acoustic trauma in service. However, his dental disability for compensation purposes is denied because it does not meet the criteria for VA compensation.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for tinnitus is granted. The claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted as the evidence supports that these conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's hearing loss is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine its etiology, considering his service exposure and other factors.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including joint stiffness, hand injuries, back pain, knee and leg issues, hearing loss, tinnitus, IBS, and sleep disturbance. The RO must make efforts to obtain VA examinations despite the Veteran's incarceration.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted service connection, while the initial compensable rating for his right ear hearing loss from October 28, 2011 to October 24, 2016 is denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbago and denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's current low back disability is found to be related to his in-service injury, while the evidence does not support a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a basal cell carcinoma of the right side of the nose was dismissed. The Board also remanded cases regarding his PTSD, coronary artery disease, tinnitus, and hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim due to insufficient examination reports and conflicting medical opinions. The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including lumbosacral strain, tinnitus, and left ear hearing loss, are being evaluated for their impact on his ability to work.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is a reasonable possibility of a link between his current conditions and in-service noise exposure. The decision also acknowledges that the evidence does not definitively establish service connection but finds it sufficient to grant the claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability. The Veteran asserts that his hearing loss is related to acoustic trauma during service, and a VA examiner found no link between in-service noise exposure and current hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus. Service connection is also remanded for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and need for further examination. The issues include benign prostate hyperplasia, urinary incontinence, hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and erectile dysfunction.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied, while his claim to reopen a previous denial of service connection for a skin disorder was granted. Service connection is established for folliculitis but not for other skin disorders.

The Veteran's initial claim for an initial compensable disability rating for left ear hearing loss was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a compensable rating based on his audiometric test results. The claims for service connection of left knee disability, sleep disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder (including post traumatic stress disorder and depressive disorder) were remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not related to any service-connected disability or to service in any other way, and thus denied service connection for the cause of his death.