Hearing loss decisions — 2019

Your claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as your Higher-Level Review is still pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss is remanded due to a duty to assist error. The VA medical opinion did not provide an adequate rationale regarding whether the Veteran’s hearing loss had its onset in service or is otherwise related to service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded it for further development. The Veteran's left ankle strain rating is also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as his Notice of Disagreement was untimely and did not address the issues in the February 2017 rating decision.

The Board has determined that the VA audiological examination is inadequate and remands for a new examination to determine if the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for a left elbow fracture, to include as secondary to shortness of breath due to an undiagnosed illness. The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current disability is presumptively connected to service due to continuous post-service symptoms.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. Hearing loss is found to be related to acoustic trauma in service, while tinnitus is considered secondary to the Veteran's hearing loss.

The Board dismissed the appeals of service connection claims for various conditions as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral feet, neck disability, arm disability, knee disability, leg disability (other than neurologic), hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hydrocele of scrotum with hard knot, and bilateral hearing loss. The decision was based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is at least equipoise evidence in favor of a link between his current hearing disability and in-service noise exposure. The decision also grants the reopening of the previously denied claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss was denied, and the appeal is now denied. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current disability is at least as likely as not related to in-service exposure to acoustic trauma.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and dismissed the issue of service connection for an upper respiratory infection. Service connection was granted for tinnitus.

The Veteran's representative has requested a new examination due to the old February 2017 examination not being sufficient for assessing his current bilateral hearing loss disability. The Board has decided to remand this issue.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his service, but has remanded for further examination and opinion regarding a kidney condition secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's appeals for various conditions and claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were granted service connection. Bilateral hearing loss was granted on the basis of aggravation by service, while tinnitus was granted based on a finding of continuous symptoms since service separation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right ankle disability related to his military service and has denied service connection for this condition. The claims for left shoulder sprain, left ankle sprain, low back disability, sciatic pain, and bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further development.