Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an addendum medical opinion. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is not related to his military service, and a compensable rating for ankylosis of the left fifth finger requires additional examination.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral eye condition, and an initial compensable rating for scar, residual cesarean section. The decision found that there was no evidence of a current disability related to these conditions.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions and remanded them for further development.

The Board has denied service connection for right ear hearing loss, right ankle condition, and right knee condition. The Veteran's nose injury is also remanded for further examination.,Service connection for allergic rhinitis secondary to a nose injury is also remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a chronic disability manifested by vertigo (benign positional vertigo) as these conditions had their onset during service.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is granted as service connected, with the condition first diagnosed in 1993 and linked to his military service via air gun inoculations. The other conditions are denied due to lack of a current diagnosis or no evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are at least in equipoise as to whether they render him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU. The right and left knee disabilities remain remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's hearing loss and lumbar spine disability are rated at 20 percent each, resulting in a combined rating of 70 percent. The Board has granted a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based on the service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claims for an increased disability rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and service connection for a skin disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and for proper notification regarding TDIU.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD as they require additional examinations due to alleged worsening of symptoms since previous evaluations.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's bilateral knee disability and denied service connection for his bilateral hearing loss. The claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for his lumbar spine disability is remanded.

The Veteran's vertigo with bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is granted at a 60 percent evaluation, effective from September 12, 2014. The Veteran’s dizziness symptoms related to his hearing loss are granted at a separate 10 percent evaluation, effective from August 12, 2009 to September 12, 2014. Bilateral hearing loss is denied for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent prior to September 12, 2014.

Service connection for tinnitus and hearing loss disability of the right ear is granted.,The appeal to reopen service connection for hearing loss in the left ear, as well as service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD) are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied as there is no evidence of a claim prior to the effective dates assigned. The appeals for earlier effective dates are also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus because the new evidence submitted did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran's asthma began during his active duty service.,The Veteran’s sleep apnea is proximately due to and aggravated beyond its natural progression by his service-connected asthma and allergic rhinitis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right ankle disability, cardiac disability, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), and right ear hearing loss due to lack of evidence of current disabilities.,There is no medical evidence showing that the Veteran has any current right ankle disability or hearing loss. The VA examinations did not show impairment in these areas.