Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's tinnitus and right ear hearing loss are granted service connection. The left ear hearing loss is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his right ear hearing loss is assigned no worse than Level III category in both ears, which corresponds to a noncompensable disability rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied as not related to service.,The Veteran's kidney disorder and heart disorder are remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for OSA, fibromyalgia, and CFS due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's sleep disturbances are found not to be a separate disability.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient service treatment records and an inadequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's left ear hearing loss disability. The Veteran is asked to provide any additional service department records, and a new VA examination will be scheduled to determine if his hearing loss is related to his active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete service treatment and personnel records, including a lack of complete VA treatment records. The Board will obtain the Veteran’s complete records and schedule him for appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for left knee disability, right knee disability, and left ear hearing loss require additional development due to inadequate examination reports and missing records.

The Board has remanded the case due to several issues, including obtaining an adequate social and industrial survey, a psychiatric examination addressing PTSD's impact on employment, and updating treatment records. The Veteran’s TDIU claim will be reconsidered with these additional developments.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease, bilateral hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy was granted. The claims for PTSD, glaucoma, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disability were reopened but denied on the merits.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disability and bilateral hearing loss have been granted, resulting in the dismissal of these issues.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension has been remanded due to incomplete information and need for further examination.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability began during and was caused by military noise exposure. The appeal has been pending since 1979.

The Board has remanded the cases of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension due to incomplete work by the RO. The Veteran's in-service noise exposure is a factor in his hearing loss claim, but there was no in-service diagnosis or treatment for either condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not service-connected as there is no evidence of a current disability and the Board finds that his claim for this condition must be denied.,The Veteran's headache disorder is not service-connected due to lack of medical evidence linking his current symptoms to his military service. The Board also found that he does not have a current diagnosis of a sleep disorder.

The Veteran's claims for prostate gland injuries, infections, hypertrophy, post-operative residuals, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and major depressive disorder were previously denied. New evidence has reopened these claims but the service connection is granted only for some of them (acquired psychiatric disorders). The remaining claims remain pending.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as it was not incurred during active service and is not etiologically related to an in-service injury, event, or disease, to include noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss, finding that there was no current disability meeting VA criteria.,For right ear hearing loss, the Board determined that the Veteran did not have a current disability. For left ear hearing loss, the Board found that while the Veteran had a current disability, it was less likely than not related to service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer, bilateral hearing loss, tinea pedis, aortic stenosis, blockage of carotid arteries, an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety), large B-cell lymphoma, and liver condition. The claims were not well-grounded due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to her military service. The left knee and left shoulder disability claims are remanded as additional development is needed, including obtaining STRs and verifying duty status.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss but has remanded the claims for left ear hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus due to additional evidence being associated with the record.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss disability needs to be re-evaluated due to a possible worsening since the last VA examination in November 2014. The claim is being remanded for another medical evaluation.