Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right knee arthritis and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) are granted service connection, while his bilateral hearing loss disability is denied.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, finding that he does not have sufficient hearing loss in his right ear to be considered a ratable disability for VA compensation purposes.

Your appeals for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for left shoulder disability, and service connection for PTSD have been dismissed.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for hearing loss and vision disability, but has found that new evidence is insufficient to establish service connection. The Board has also remanded the cases for additional examinations and opinions regarding the severity of hypertension, as well as the etiology of the Veteran's visual and auditory disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for updated VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise that these conditions are related to noise exposure during active military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since March 16, 2014. The May 2015 VA examination results showed level I hearing impairment in both ears and no exceptional patterns of hearing impairment.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected. The remaining issues of service connection for low back, neck, left shoulder disabilities and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral and left ear hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence to support a direct relationship between his current hearing loss and his military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected allergic sinusitis and grants service connection for this condition. However, the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for another VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability and whether he has a balance disorder, as well as any impact on employment. Additional medical records are also needed.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence from the Court. The Veteran must provide private treatment records, and a VA examination is needed to determine if his current hearing loss and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his claim for an earlier effective date for the award of a 30 percent disability rating for generalized anxiety disorder is dismissed. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (formerly diagnosed as psychogenic skin reaction) has been granted increased ratings: 50% prior to June 11, 2018, and greater than 50% from that date.

The Board dismissed the appeals for hearing loss, tinnitus, and ischemic heart disease as they are related to a deceased Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service and did not manifest within one year of separation. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not related to any in-service noise exposure.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the last final decision supports reopening of the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea. However, the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current sleep apnea is related to his military service or Gulf War exposure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by active service, and therefore grants service connection for the aggravation of her bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's initial claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss needs to be remanded due to unclear audiometric testing results from private providers.