Hearing loss decisions — 2019

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

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's right ear hearing loss was aggravated by service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right ankle disability, finding that there is no evidence to support a link between his current condition and his active military service. The issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been remanded due to insufficient medical examination.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus but remanded the issue of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient rationale in previous VA opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is granted as service connected, with the Board finding that his hearing acuity worsened during service and continuing to present.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is a result of his active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss rating is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess its current severity.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they were not incurred or aggravated by military service.,Service connection for the acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) is granted, which renders the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder for the purpose of establishing eligibility for treatment under 38 U.S.C. § 1702 moot.

The Board has ordered the VA to search for and obtain Schofield Barracks' sick/morning reports from May to August 1959, which may contain information about the Veteran's hearing loss during service. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as of December 28, 2007. An effective date of December 28, 2007 is granted for the award of a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected due to in-service acoustic trauma and the Board finds reasonable doubt in favor of his claim.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred in service and is not otherwise related to his military service. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation.,The effective date of service connection for Meniere’s Disease and vertigo secondary to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus was granted on December 17, 2015. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is denied as there is no evidence of a prior informal or formal claim before this date.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus type II (DM II) with erectile dysfunction (ED) was remanded due to the need for additional examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service acoustic trauma or a nexus to service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The claims for tinnitus, heart disability, hypertension, and prostate cancer are remanded for additional development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that his current hearing loss did not manifest in-service or within one year after separation and is not shown to be causally related to an in-service event, injury or disease.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and recurrent tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The claim to reopen the previously denied OSA service connection is denied.,The claims for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and PTSD are remanded as new evidence has not been submitted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart disability, right ear hearing loss, and traumatic brain injury were denied. The Board found no current diagnoses of these conditions.,For the right ear hearing loss, the Veteran was not granted an increased rating as his hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there is no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current hearing impairment and his active duty service, or that it manifested to a compensable degree within one year of separation from service.