Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation or causation during service and the pre-existing condition did not worsen beyond its natural progression.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to a lack of consideration of in-service hazardous noise exposure during his military service.

The Board has remanded several claims for service connection due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board denied a compensable evaluation for service-connected left ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support the claim and that the Veteran's symptoms were consistent with Level I hearing acuity in both ears.

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

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to worsening symptoms of his service-connected PTSD and the recent grant of service connection for asbestosis. A VA examination is needed to assess the impact on employment.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability.,The Veteran's dental disability claim is denied as there is no evidence of a service-connected condition that requires repair.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, which was manifested by Level III hearing in his right ear and Level II hearing in his left ear for the entire period on appeal, does not warrant a compensable disability rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were initially denied in September 2013, but were later granted based on new evidence received after the initial decision. Effective dates of May 29, 2012 are assigned for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to in-service noise exposure. The VA examiner will need to review the claims file, conduct a thorough examination, and consider the impact of research articles submitted by the Veteran.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 50% from February 16, 2016 to August 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support an increased rating as the audiometric findings were consistent with a 50% disability rating.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as the evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease, nor does it show continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability for VA purposes and therefore his claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 30 percent rating effective November 26, 2014. The Veteran's cholesteatoma has not been found to have any active suppuration or aural polyps during the appeal period.

The Veteran's hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, but he was granted service connection for tinnitus secondary to his already service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development regarding his skin disability and hypertension. The heart, left ear hearing loss, and tinnitus claims are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the issue of left ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and right shoulder arthritis are granted as service-connected due to exposure to loud noise during service.,Service connection is established for these conditions based on the presumption of chronicity under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b) because they have been shown to be related to in-service acoustic trauma.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to October 13, 2011.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for the appellant's low back disability, granted a 40 percent rating for right lower extremity radiculopathy, and denied ratings for other conditions.