Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The appeal for an evaluation in excess of 10 percent for bilateral tinnitus is dismissed. Headaches are not productive of prostrating attacks and do not warrant a compensable rating. Service connection for left knee strain and right knee disability is denied as there is no evidence of such conditions during service or related to service. The Veteran's current right knee disability is remanded due to the lack of a diagnosis in the medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to his military service. The evidence supports a link between the Veteran's exposure to loud noise during service and his present conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss. The claim will be reviewed again after obtaining additional information and a new medical opinion.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss, but has remanded the issues of left ear hearing loss and tinnitus due to conflicting medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were not shown as chronic in service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence to support a finding that these conditions are related to military noise exposure. The Board therefore denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise, and therefore grants service connection for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that his preexisting condition did not worsen during military service and was not aggravated.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is at least as likely as not related to his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for a back disability and an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran's claim for TDIU was also denied as his disabilities did not render him unemployable during the appeal period.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted an initial rating of 50 percent, effective from November 28, 2018. His hearing loss rating was restored to 10 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is insufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of September 10, 2015 for his TDIU award as there was no evidence showing he was unemployable prior to that date due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, glaucoma, bilateral hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety disorder) as there is no evidence of a direct causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to a duty to assist error regarding the separation audiometric findings and the need for additional VA medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, migraine headaches, conjunctivitis, and sinusitis have been granted. Additionally, the Veteran has been awarded a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding these conditions and their relationship to service.

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 Veteran is granted TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The case for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is remanded as the VA has not obtained all relevant private treatment records from Emory University.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a left-hand disorder due to insufficient evidence linking these conditions to his military service.