Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has decided that the Veteran's current degenerative arthritis of the spine is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition. However, the bilateral hearing loss claim requires additional evidence as it was not adequately addressed in the previous examination.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and for consideration of an earlier effective date for his hearing loss disability.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD. The Veteran's bladder condition, hearing loss, hypertension, and left hand and arm condition are all remanded for further examination and opinion. Service connection for bilateral brittle nails and a skin condition (claimed as chloracne and hair loss) due to herbicide agent exposure are also remanded.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus, as well as increased ratings for lumbar spine DDD, right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, left knee pain with mild patellofemoral degenerative changes, left ankle sprain, right ankle sprain, residual scar of hernia operation (right inguinal area), and painful residual scar of hernia operation (left inguinal area).

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions were aggravated by his military service. The claim for secondary service connection for tinnitus is also granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to service. The Veteran's current hearing loss is not related to in-service noise exposure, but may be otherwise related to service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral pes planus and left ear hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's preexisting conditions did not worsen during service or were not related to his military service.

The Veteran's hearing loss in the left ear was found to be noncompensable prior to January 25, 2017 and noncompensable from the period beginning January 25, 2017. The Board denied entitlement to a compensable disability rating for both issues.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated at 40 percent, and he was granted TDIU effective January 29, 2016. The Board found that the service-connected disabilities made him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of this date.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination and opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability needs to be re-evaluated as his condition may have worsened since the last examination in September 2013. He will need to undergo a VA examination to determine the current severity of his disability.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's tinnitus is service-connected. However, due to an inadequate VA examination for hearing loss and a need for clarification of the Veteran's exposure during service, the issue of service connection for hearing loss is remanded.

Your claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been resolved in your favor, but the appeal is dismissed as there are no longer any unresolved issues to review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The VA examination must be conducted with specific attention to whether these conditions are related to active duty for training or inactive duty for training.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and bilateral hearing loss due to missing service treatment records. The Veteran needs to provide additional medical evidence, including any DOD or VA records related to his hypertension diagnosis in service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability has been reopened, but the issue remains remanded.,Left ear hearing loss is rated at noncompensable (0%) due to not meeting criteria for higher ratings under VA regulations.,Asthma is currently rated at 30% and the issue of an increased rating remains remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for left ear hearing loss disability and obstructive sleep apnea, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension due to a failure to comply with previous directives. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being reviewed again by VA, and his hypertension will be evaluated in light of any new information.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's hearing loss, specifically his periods of active duty for training and inactive duty for training. The Veteran will be provided with another VA audiological examination.