Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and restored service connection for tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for tinnitus. The denial of hearing loss was based on the absence of a diagnosis meeting VA criteria, while the grant of tinnitus was due to its chronic nature and in-service noise exposure.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of COPD due to his withdrawal. The issues of right ear hearing loss, OSA, hypertension, and PTSD remain on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment since June 1, 2007. The Board has granted an effective date of June 1, 2007 for the TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current hearing disability and his military service.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and migraine headaches are all found to be secondary to his service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 40 percent for TBI from January 14, 2019.,Prior to January 14, 2019, the Veteran's TBI was rated at 10 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that meets the criteria for hearing loss under VA regulations.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to a lack of evidence regarding his in-service noise exposure and current hearing status.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues, including service connection for various conditions and an increased rating for tinnitus. The Board has determined that the maximum disability rating possible under applicable criteria is 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus. For other claims, a new examination and additional evidence are needed.

The Veteran's hearing acuity was not shown to be worse than Level I in the right ear or Level IX in the left ear, warranting a 0% rating for bilateral hearing loss.

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

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and there is no evidence of worsening to warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and conducting an audiological examination.

The Board denied an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss and a compensable rating for the Veteran's scalp scar, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are at least as likely as not caused by in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus due to non-compliance with a previous remand directive.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The decision on the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's increased ratings for right wrist disability and bilateral hearing loss have been denied as the evidence does not support a higher rating based on current symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is being remanded due to the need to reconsider a previous reduction in his disability rating from 70% to 60%. The appeal is intertwined with whether the reduction was proper.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate VA medical opinions and unclear audiometric standards application. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is being reviewed again for a determination of whether it is related to his military service.