Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the nature of his pre-existing conditions and their relation to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including skin condition, right and left eye vision impairment, acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, lumbar spine arthritis, and prostate cancer. The evidence did not meet the criteria for direct service connection in most cases.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD has been denied. A TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a peripheral vestibular disorder and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to December 29, 2017 have been denied. The Board found insufficient evidence linking the conditions to his service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied a compensable evaluation for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, finding that his audiometric findings did not meet the criteria for any level of disability greater than noncompensable (0%).

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss is granted, and effective dates are assigned for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have right ear hearing loss for VA purposes and therefore, service connection is denied.

The Veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to, a service-connected disability. The criteria for increased ratings for peripheral neuropathy of the left and right upper extremities were not met.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are currently rated at 20% and 10%, respectively. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20% for bilateral hearing loss is denied, while the claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus remain pending.,The Veteran's leg disability and acquired psychiatric disability are remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the issues of service connection. The initial rating for tinnitus remains remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are service-connected, with the evidence being in equipoise as to whether these conditions began during active military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to service, but the VA examiner did not consider the in-service audiogram converted to ISO-ANSI units.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability as new and relevant evidence was not received to support the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his TDIU claim is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions. The Veteran is seeking service connection based on noise exposure during active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not related to his service, but has granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's hearing loss is currently rated at 0 percent, and the Board has determined that it does not warrant a higher rating based on the current evidence of record.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the maximum available rating. The bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to new evidence requiring a new examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's tinnitus is related to his active military service and grants this claim. For the hearing loss issue, the case is remanded as there was no notification of the scheduled VA examination.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is granted as service connected. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and MDD) is remanded due to the need to verify stressors and obtain a new opinion.