Hearing loss decisions — 2018

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his previously denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability. However, it has denied both the service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability.,Service connection for anxiety disorder, secondary to TBI, is also denied. The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s anxiety was not related to his service-connected TBI.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied, and his PTSD is rated at 70 percent. The issue of TDIU is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU is remanded due to the need for further examination. The claims are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to outstanding VA treatment records and a need for a new medical opinion.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for low back, left knee, right knee, right ankle, and bilateral hearing loss disabilities due to incomplete examination reports and conflicting findings.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not meet the legal definition of a 'veteran' for VA compensation purposes due to lack of active service, and therefore, his claims for service connection are denied.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and TDIU due to PTSD. The earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding no evidence that the conditions were related to active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his request for an increased evaluation of PTSD and entitlement to TDIU, have all been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current hearing loss or tinnitus disabilities during the appeal period, and that the Veteran’s PTSD does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his time in service or to Agent Orange exposure. Service connection for the cause of death is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional examinations and opinions regarding his psychiatric disability, hearing loss, and service connection.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA and private medical records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU rating. The remaining claims for increased ratings are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically because of potential noise exposure during service. The VA examiner will need to review a field study from 1990 that suggests manual Morse code operators may have been exposed to hazardous noise levels.

The Veteran's headaches are not rated higher than 30 percent, as they do not meet the criteria for a more severe rating.,The Veteran does not have hearing loss that meets VA disability criteria and thus service connection is denied.,The Veteran does not have a diagnosed cranial nerve disability. His reported numbness of the face is considered part of his headaches.,Service connection for prostate cancer or erectile dysfunction, both associated with herbicide exposure, are denied as there was no evidence of such exposure in service and no current condition found to be caused by it.,The Veteran's erectile dysfunction is not secondary to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are rated at 100 percent combined, and the Board finds that these conditions reasonably preclude his participation in substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's right eye disability and tinnitus. The claims for left knee pain, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus are being reviewed.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied, but his claim for tinnitus is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran experienced acoustic trauma during his active service and that there is a continuity of symptomatology since service.