Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in the August 2013 rating decision, but reopened due to new and material evidence. Service connection is granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, acid reflux (secondary to PTSD), and erectile dysfunction (secondary to PTSD) were remanded as they are related to his service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for hypertension was granted based on a diagnosis during active service. The effective date is the date of receipt of claim, November 29, 2013.

The appeal for a compensable disability rating prior to May 30, 2018 and greater than 10 percent beginning May 30, 2018 for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has identified errors in the VA examination opinions related to the Veteran's hearing loss and neck disabilities, and thus remanded these issues for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his in-service noise exposure and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied claims for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes, and bilateral restless leg syndrome. The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to his military service due to exposure to noise in service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence does not support a link between these conditions and service. The Veteran's claims were based on in-service noise exposure during his time as part of the 73rd Armor Division.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of current disability or in-service injury.,Service connection for renal cell carcinoma was also denied due to lack of a link between the condition and active service, including presumed exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient examination findings.

The Veteran's neck disorder, low back disorder, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and right hip disorder were denied. The claim for right ear hearing loss was reopened but not granted. All issues related to these conditions are being remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and service connection for tinnitus need further examination and opinion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss due to in-service noise exposure. The case will be returned after further examination and review.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection are remanded due to incomplete service records and additional relevant evidence being associated with the record.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted as service-connected on an aggravation basis.,Right ear hearing loss and tinnitus are both granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, right knee arthritis, left hip arthritis, and right hip arthritis are presumed to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's right ankle disability and left shoulder arthritis and right shoulder arthritis are proximately due (subsequent manifestation) of his now service-connected arthritis.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability is being remanded for further review due to new evidence submitted since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his service-connected conditions preclude him from obtaining and maintaining employment.

The appeal of the left ankle disability claim is dismissed. The dizziness and bilateral hearing loss claims are remanded for further action.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, with a Level I impairment in the right ear and a Level II impairment in the left ear.,The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder is remanded for further evaluation due to recent symptom changes.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of these claims prior to the promulgation of a decision.,The Veteran also withdrew his claim seeking an earlier effective date for tinnitus.