Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted, with the highest possible rating of 100 percent. The sudden sensorineural hearing loss in his left ear occurred after service connection was established and its cause remains unknown.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear and left ear hearing loss disabilities, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military noise exposure during his service in the artillery unit.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, with the highest level of hearing acuity being Level II in the right ear and Level I in the left ear. The Board found that a compensable rating is not warranted.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while his condition manifested by shortness of breath and other conditions are denied. The issues of service connection for a left knee condition, right torn rotator cuff, bilateral hearing loss, and hypertension are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to inadequate medical opinions and missing evidence.,The Veteran's skin disability claim is also remanded as he has not been provided with a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a left shoulder disability and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence in some cases, and requests additional examinations.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection as it began during active duty.,Bilateral hearing loss is not considered a disability for VA purposes due to the presence of normal auditory thresholds in all tested frequencies.,Service connection for major depressive and anxiety disorder remains denied, with an increased rating of 70% being granted. The Veteran's current condition does not meet criteria for total social impairment.,TDIU prior to May 9, 2014 was granted based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and vertigo as secondary to service-connected tinnitus. The decision is based on the Veteran's current diagnoses, her statements regarding noise exposure during service, and medical opinions linking her conditions to her service-connected tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's lay statements of in-service onset and continuity of symptoms are sufficient to establish service connection.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, finding no current disability. The Veteran's tinnitus and unspecified depressive disorder claims are remanded for further development.,Service connection is not granted for the Veteran's claimed conditions due to lack of a current disability.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus. The case of bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development and examination, as the current opinions are inadequate. The Veteran's hearing loss is not service-connected due to lack of auditory threshold criteria meeting VA standards. For his low back and right hip disabilities, the Board found the existing opinions insufficient and requested new ones.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is a result of noise exposure during her military service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted a 10% evaluation, effective from when the new evidence was received.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to missing audiological evaluation report from March 2013, which may impact effective dates and initial ratings for hearing loss in both ears and tinnitus.

The Board has granted service connection for skin disability to include dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis. The issue of service connection for hearing loss in the right ear is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for tinnitus was denied in March 2016. The Board found that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim. For his bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating is remanded due to a lapse of time since the last VA examination. For vertigo, a remand is also required as there are conflicting reports from the Veteran regarding its onset.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been rated at 10 percent since the appeal period began. The Board found that his current hearing acuity does not warrant a higher rating based on VA and private audiometric evaluations conducted in June 2016 and March 2018.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not begin during service and is not related to any in-service injury, event or disease. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for this condition.