Hearing loss decisions — 2019

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

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied on the merits by a final August 1995 Board decision. The Veteran attempted to reopen his claim multiple times, but all attempts were denied. New evidence received since January 2007 suggests that the Veteran may have preexisting bilateral hearing loss that is not aggravated beyond its natural progression by service. The case is remanded for further development and an opinion on whether the Veteran's hearing loss was aggravated during service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, specifically whether it is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus have been denied.,Service connection has also been denied for obstructive sleep apnea. The Board found that the current OSA did not have its onset during service.

The January 10, 1973 rating decision denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the absence of a disability at the time of separation and lack of evidence showing a disease or injury incurred in service. The RO found that there was no hearing loss during service as evidenced by normal audiometric results.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and lower back disability due to the need for additional VA examinations to determine the current severity of his service-connected disabilities and their etiology.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to inadequate examination and failure to consider a possible delayed onset hearing loss.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss but remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the current severity of left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right and left knee strains, and PTSD have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service noise exposure or continuity of symptoms postservice sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board denied reopening the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds that this rating is appropriate based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital from November 23, 2015, to December 1, 2015, are denied because VA facilities were found to be feasibly available for continued treatment after the emergency room visit.

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 military service.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and a higher rating for cervical spine disability are being remanded due to issues with the mailing of examination requests.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left foot disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with his other claims.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable prior to June 4, 2018 and 10 percent thereafter. The heart condition claim has been remanded due to inadequate previous examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right shoulder disability, bilateral hearing loss, and hemorrhoids. The appeals for headaches, cell-mediated immunity, chronic fatigue syndrome, bilateral elbow disability, keratosis pilaris on back of arms (also claimed as skin condition), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastrointestinal disability other than GERD, bilateral knee disability, and Gulf War Illness/Syndrome have been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's service connection claims for left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, and dermatitis have been granted. The claim for right ear hearing loss is being remanded.,An initial compensable rating for dermatitis has been granted with an effective date of October 14, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial, compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed. The Board also remanded the claim of service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,The Veteran's left knee postoperative scar is currently rated at noncompensable, and no higher rating is warranted based on the evidence of record.