Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not render him unemployable due to his ability to perform the mental and physical requirements of his past employment as a custodian at a church.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but has remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for vertigo as secondary to hearing loss due to an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran must be provided a new VA examination to determine if his vertigo is related to service or caused by his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss has been denied as his current level of hearing impairment does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's disability evaluation guidelines.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, leading to a grant of TDIU.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of right ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder are granted. The effective date is set at May 13, 2015.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of the Veteran's exposure to noise from howitzers during service, which may be related to his current bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's hearing loss claim requires additional development due to missing VA audiology and speech recognition testing results from April 2008 to the present.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including uric acid nephropathy and gout, prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board granted a TDIU based on the combined rating of his service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that there is insufficient evidence to establish a causal link between the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus disabilities and his in-service noise exposure. The case is being remanded for further development of the record, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling an audiological examination.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, miliaria (chloracne), thyroid condition, heart condition, bilateral foot condition, abnormal toenail condition, and abnormal skin growth. The decision also noted that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction claim was not addressed as it pertained to an earlier effective date.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded due to inadequate rationale in the VA examination opinions and a need for further medical evaluation.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no current disability referable to this condition.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed as he withdrew the claim prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and head injury residuals due to a lack of adequate medical evidence, including an examination report that did not consider the Veteran's in-service noise exposure. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's appeal of his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed because he withdrew the appeal in writing.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection claims for back condition and bilateral hearing loss. The decision on whether these conditions are related to service is pending.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he withdrew all his claims and appeals before the VA in a June 2019 correspondence.