Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and has determined that he is entitled to service connection based on continuity of symptomatology present with an organic disease of the nervous system.

The Board has remanded the cases due to incomplete records and need for further examination. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being reviewed, as are his claims for tinnitus which may be secondary to his hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for allergic rhinitis have been denied. The case has also been remanded for further development regarding service connection for sleep apnea (secondary to service-connected allergic rhinitis) and TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is at least as likely as not related to his in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his active service, with evidence at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions began during or were aggravated by service. Service connection is granted for both conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear sensory hearing loss and denied service connection for otitis media of the right ear. Service connection for HIV was dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran's representative.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II as due to herbicide exposure, coronary artery disease (CAD) as due to herbicide exposure, and left lower extremity amputation secondary to service-connected CAD. The Veteran was exposed to herbicides during his service in Thailand.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions. The current evaluations for his service-connected disabilities remain unchanged.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable rating for hemorrhoids. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his knees and back, as well as the issue of left leg radiculopathy related to his spine disability, are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and evaluation of the Veteran's PTSD, as his representative contends that there is evidence indicating an increase in severity since the last VA examination. The other issues remain denied.

The Veteran's left arm numbness is granted as secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.,A 20 percent rating for the Veteran’s left shoulder disability is granted effective November 13, 2008.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted service connection as presumptively caused by exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The claims for left ear hearing loss, a left eye condition, tinnitus, lung disease, heart condition, hypertension and hypertensive heart disease, deep venous thrombosis, left arm embolism, edema, and erectile dysfunction are all remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's ringing and buzzing in his ears since active duty service is likely due to noise exposure. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of onset within one year of separation from service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new VA examination to assess the severity of his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to difficulties in scheduling VA examinations because of his incarceration. The issues include arthritis, hearing loss, COPD, hypertension, renal failure, lymphocytic lymphoma, and thrombocytopenia.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of in-service head injuries due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology. Additional VA treatment records are needed, and a new examination is required.

The Veteran's claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied due to a lack of evidence of current disability. The Board has decided to remand the case for further evaluation and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there is no current diagnosis of a hearing loss disability in either ear and that the evidence does not establish a nexus between any in-service noise exposure and the current hearing loss.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence showing a current disability. The case is remanded for further development regarding left ear hearing loss and diabetes mellitus type II.