Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no evidence of a compensable disability.,There is insufficient evidence to establish service connection for left hip disability. The Veteran does not have current left or right hip disability, nor do post-service treatment records indicate such disabilities.,The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated as noncompensable and the Board finds no evidence of a compensable disability.,Service connection for PTSD has been denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for PTSD.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including bipolar disorder, depression, and insomnia, has been denied as there is insufficient evidence to link these conditions to service or any other service-connected disability.,The Veteran's left knee disability has also been denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, but the Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his military service. The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for PTSD also requires further examination.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prevented him from securing and maintaining gainful employment prior to July 21, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (lumbar strain, spondylosis, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss) have prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment throughout the appeal period. As a result, he is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case due to new and material evidence received by the Veteran, which relates to his left ear hearing loss. The issues of service connection for left ear hearing loss and entitlement to a compensable rating for right ear hearing loss are inextricably intertwined and must be adjudicated together.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss was noted at entry into service and is not presumed to have been incurred in service. The Board has ordered a new VA examination to determine if the pre-existing condition worsened during active duty.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted.,The Board found the evidence at least evenly balanced as to whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient consideration of scientific articles submitted by the Veteran in his Notice of Disagreement.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service or within a presumptive period, and continuity of symptomatology is not established. The Board concluded that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is less likely than not caused by or a result of in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, finding that there was no evidence to support a relationship between his current hearing loss and in-service noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates prior to March 13, 2017 for service connection of type II diabetes mellitus, tinnitus, and right ear hearing loss.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disease, bilateral hearing loss, rheumatoid arthritis, tinnitus, hypertension, beriberi, and irritable bowel syndrome are denied as there is no recognized period of active military service during which these conditions could have been incurred or aggravated.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, OSA, lumbar spine strain, migraine headaches, and duodenal ulcer were denied. The claim for increased rating of right lower extremity radiculopathy was remanded. Service connection for chronic fatigue, hypertension, hepatitis C, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder with anxious distress) is also remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is no evidence of a causal relationship between these conditions and his in-service noise exposure.

The Board has restored the 20 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss, but has also remanded the issue of entitlement to a rating in excess of 20 percent due to insufficient information from private audiological examinations.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded due to the need for updated VA examination and treatment records.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an effective date earlier than September 24, 2012 for right knee DJD and thoracolumbar spine DDD with sciatica were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support earlier effective dates as there was no formal or informal claim received prior to September 24, 2012.