Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board denied a TDIU prior to January 1, 2012 due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities not precluding him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected due to exposure to noise during active duty.,Service connection for myasthenia gravis and eye disability secondary to MG are denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as new evidence did not warrant readjudication.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no evidence of a current disability related to service, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that his hearing loss is related to service.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, residuals of a head injury, and tinnitus. The appeal for substance use disorder was denied due to self-medication with alcohol during service. Service connection for a psychiatric disorder is also denied as it did not manifest within one year post-service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence showing that the condition was incurred or aggravated during active duty, and it did not manifest within one year of separation. The Board found that the Veteran's current hearing loss is more likely due to a combination of endolymphatic hydrops, occupational noise exposure over 30 years, and a ruptured eardrum in 1982.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no current diagnosis of hearing loss that meets VA compensation criteria.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection based on his reported noise exposure during service. Service connection for hearing loss and prostate cancer were denied due to lack of evidence meeting VA criteria for disability, while the colostomy associated with prostate cancer was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's current disability is consistent with his in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus is granted, with the remand of both issues to obtain a VA examination.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, constant tinnitus, and rhinitis/sinusitis (sinus problems) due to unresolved issues.,Service connection is not granted for these conditions as there is no direct evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss from September 27, 2016 is remanded due to the possibility of worsening and the need for new VA examination.

The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran is currently rated at 50 percent and sustained improvement has not been definitively demonstrated.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further examination and evaluation due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss and psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was denied as not related to service.,Left ear hearing loss was granted initial compensation but rated at 0% (non-compensable).,Left scaphoid fracture was denied an increased rating higher than 10%. The RO granted the increase from February 17, 2016.,Service connection for left ear hearing loss was not granted earlier than February 17, 2016.,Increased rating for left wrist post scaphoid fracture was denied prior to February 17, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of his current hearing loss disability. The TDIU claim is also deferred pending this development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to residuals of a right foot fracture, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, right shoulder glenohumeral joint osteoarthritis, recurrent dislocation, and tension headaches have been remanded due to the need for further development.,No effective date was assigned as the issues are still under review.

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