Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing addendum opinions from VA examiners regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting right ear hearing loss did not become worse during service and does not currently have a hearing disability for VA purposes. Therefore, the claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address the nature and etiology of her bilateral wrist disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to conflicting medical opinions regarding the Veteran's skin and ear disabilities. The issues of service connection for a skin disability and an ear disability remain before the Board.

The Veteran's appeal is mixed, with some issues granted and others not. Service connection for chemical sensitivities, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disorder, IBS, and low back disorder are granted on a presumptive basis due to Gulf War exposure. Other service connection claims remain pending.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is granted as new and material evidence has been received. However, the criteria for a TDIU are not met due to his service-connected disabilities alone.

The Veteran's PTSD and hearing loss disabilities are rated at 70 percent combined, meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is found to be related to noise exposure during his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a heart disability has been reopened and granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and insomnia disorder have all been denied.

The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to his death, and no jurisdiction remains for the merits of these claims.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability, which is rated at 50%, has rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board granted the claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination. The examiner did not adequately describe the impact of the condition on daily life and used only a speech discrimination test, which was deemed insufficient.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is granted as his current bilateral hearing loss is related to active service, despite the absence of contemporaneous records.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disorder (PTSD) due to additional development of evidence.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension are being remanded due to inadequate development of the medical evidence.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and colon condition. The current VA examination reports are inadequate as they do not provide sufficient rationale or consideration of the lay statements provided by the Veteran.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability or tinnitus during the Veteran's first period of service, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to noise exposure during service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition. The issue of bilateral hearing loss remains pending as it was not addressed in the May 2011 rating decision.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for lumbar strain with degenerative disc and facet joint hypertrophy is denied as there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or physician-prescribed bedrest.,The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for status post osteotomies of the bilateral submandibular areas with TMJ instability is denied as his inter-incisal range of motion has not been shown to be limited to 0-10 mm.