Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to insufficient medical opinions and evidence of record.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right lower neuropathy, left lower neuropathy, right upper neuropathy, and left upper neuropathy are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to in-service noise exposure. The decision also reopened his previously denied claim.

The Veteran is seeking an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, but the most recent medical examination is from three years ago. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine the current severity of his hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, recurrent tinnitus, and headaches due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development and examination, including service connection claims for various conditions. The Veteran's claim to reopen his bilateral hearing loss claim is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for tinnitus. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower and upper extremities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a disability rating greater than 90 percent for bilateral hearing loss and TDIU, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or TDIU based on his inability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, right ear hearing loss, bilateral knee disability, myopathy type 2 fiber atrophy (claimed as due to chemical exposure), and lumbar spine disability. The decision is final.

The reduction from a 10 percent rating to a noncompensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was improper, and the 10 percent rating is restored. The issue of service connection for PTSD and entitlement to a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his military service. The Veteran contends that his hearing loss is linked to noise exposure during service.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the earliest date March 9, 2015 was appropriate as it is when the appellant's claim was received by VA.

The claim for service connection for hypertension, which was previously denied due to lack of evidence in service records and the opinion that it is not related to diabetes, has been reopened. The new study supports a positive association between hypertension and exposure to herbicides, placing the evidence in equipoise. Therefore, service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Veteran's hearing loss disability is rated at 0 percent, as the audiometric findings do not warrant a compensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The low back disability claim was reopened, but the Board found insufficient evidence to determine if it is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of 30 percent for choroidal neovascularization of the right eye is granted prior to May 13, 2018. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating of 60 percent for choroidal neovascularization of the right eye is granted from May 13, 2018. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for his service-connected asbestosis, bilateral hearing loss, and the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss are being remanded due to inadequate examination and outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for PTSD prior to March 3, 2016 and from that date has been dismissed. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to SMC based on aid and attendance.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Board has determined that the severance of service connection for right ear hearing loss was improper and restored the original grant of service connection.