Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's right ear did not meet VA criteria for a disability due to hearing impairment. The left ear was found to have no evidence of etiological link to military noise exposure.,Service connection for tinnitus was granted based on the Veteran's report of ringing in his ears beginning during service and continuing since then.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there was no current disability as defined by VA and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between his current hearing loss and military service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, as well as whether these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was reduced to noncompensable, but the Board has granted restoration of a 20 percent rating effective from May 30, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied, but a new rating of 30 percent for vertigo is granted. The appeal for tinnitus remains at its current 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing disability is rated as non-compensable, and the Board has decided to remand this issue due to a lack of recent VA examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, but his right knee disorder and other conditions are remanded for further development.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for right ear hearing loss before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of his right upper extremity neurological disability, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss. The VA will obtain additional medical records and conduct further examinations to determine if these conditions are related to active service or other disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of recent research articles.

The claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has not been reopened, and the Veteran's right shoulder disorder and hernias claims have been reopened. The service connection for hernias is denied, while hypertension and diabetes mellitus are also denied.,The Veteran's right shoulder disorder and hernias claims have been reopened. Service connection for these conditions is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that caused the current condition.,Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is remanded, service connection for shingles is remanded, a disability rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD is remanded, and an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for tinea versicolor with ingrown toenail (claimed as skin rash and foot condition) is also remanded.,The Veteran's right shoulder disorder and OSA claims are remanded. The claim for service connection for shingles is also remanded.,A disability rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD is remanded, and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for tinea versicolor with ingrown toenail (claimed as skin rash and foot condition) is also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hyperalgesia as secondary to his service-connected depression disorder was dismissed.,Service connection for tremors, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were all denied.

Your claim of service connection for left ear hearing loss has been granted, but the Board is dismissing your appeal because it was already decided in a previous rating decision.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was restored to 50 percent effective December 7, 2018. A higher rating for PTSD is denied. The effective date for the increased hearing loss rating remains November 9, 2018.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hearing loss, DJD of the lumbar spine, and DJD of the right knee due to insufficient medical opinions regarding service connection.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, acute appendicitis, mucinous tumor, and surgical tooth extraction/dental trauma were granted. However, service connection was denied for each condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable since September 24, 2013. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a compensable rating for any time during the appeal period.,The Veteran’s eye problems, left knee disorder, hypertension, and stomach problems (GERD and chronic diarrhea) are remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding their etiology.

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

The Veteran's hearing loss and sleep apnea claims are denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities.,The Veteran's sleep apnea claim is denied as the preponderance of the evidence does not support a connection to service or asbestos exposure.,The Veteran's respiratory disorder (claimed as chronic bronchitis and decreased pulmonary function) and atrial fibrillation claims are remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.,The Veteran's atrial fibrillation claim is remanded if mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure in service is diagnosed.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was not present during service and is denied.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.