Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a bilateral hearing loss disability has been dismissed as moot due to the grant of such benefit in February 2018. The claims for right fourth finger, bilateral hand, and left knee disabilities have not met the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD, an earlier effective date for prostate cancer service connection, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his medical records.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraine headaches, and degenerative joint disease (DDD) of the cervical spine have all been granted. The claim for sleep apnea has also been granted.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on direct evidence.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's sensorineural bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the current opinions are insufficient.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip disability, hearing loss, and tinnitus with an effective date of December 3, 2009. The Veteran's claims for other disabilities are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for irritable bowel syndrome, hyposmia as a residual of oral surgery, and headache condition. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eczema of the bilateral lower extremities, and residuals of oral surgery. The Veteran's current diagnoses are found to be related to his service in Southwest Asia.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than August 18, 2004, for the grants of service connection for lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, left lower extremity radiculopathy associated with the lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as there is no evidence that he filed a timely substantive appeal with the October 1968 rating decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for scars on the retina, dermatitis of the groin, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision also granted an initial noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities are etiologically related to service, including his noise exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding his right ear hearing loss and the need for a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The decision found that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure during service, which precluded presumptive service connection. For heart disease, the claim was denied as there was no in-service onset or continuity of symptoms after discharge. For bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, the Board noted that while the Veteran reported noise exposure, there is insufficient medical evidence to establish a nexus between his current conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for service connection for a back disability, an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and an increased rating for right shoulder osteoarthritis. The issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to June 13, 2011 remains on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his military service, granting service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are a result of his VA-administered pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment for hepatitis C.,VA medical records indicate that the Veteran experienced sudden onset of these conditions during his treatment, which was not foreseen by reasonable healthcare providers.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to substantiate the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, including obtaining post-service treatment records from Mercy Hospital.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran experienced acoustic trauma in service and had current hearing loss disability. Service connection was also granted for tinnitus, with the Board resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran. The issue of service connection for sinusitis is remanded.

The Board has determined that the March 2014 VA medical opinion is inadequate and remands the case for further development, including a new examination by an appropriate medical professional to consider the IOM report on delayed onset hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected tinnitus was denied as there is no legal basis for a schedular evaluation in excess of 10 percent or an effective date prior to August 21, 2013. The Veteran does not have other disabilities that would warrant separate evaluations.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as potential in-service noise exposure.