Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is related to in-service noise exposure and he has been granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and alcoholism is granted. The claims for left shoulder disability, vision problems, hearing loss, and diabetes mellitus are remanded.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left ear hearing loss is causally related to in-service noise exposure, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied a separate compensable evaluation for left ear hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support such an award based on the audiometric test results and speech recognition scores provided.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been reopened, and the Board has determined that there is sufficient evidence to grant service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than November 20, 2009 and September 14, 2010 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ear cholesteatoma have been denied.,The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for bilateral hearing loss and left ear cholesteatoma are remanded for further evaluation.

The Board has remanded the service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to inadequate prior opinions. Additional development is needed, including obtaining an adequate VA opinion on the etiologies of the Veteran's conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure during his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss has been reopened, and he is now granted service connection. His claim for a compensable rating for bilateral shin splints was denied. He received a 30% rating for sinusitis, but his claim for residuals of a tonsillectomy remains denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are related to the Veteran's in-service noise exposure.

Service connection is granted for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss, with the reasoning that current disability resulted from in-service noise exposure. Service connection is denied for TBI and headaches due to lack of a qualifying chronic disability or evidence linking symptoms to service.,Headaches are not considered a presumptive condition under VA regulations, and there is no direct evidence linking the Veteran's current headache symptoms to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss disability, as there has been no recent evaluation and he testified that his condition had worsened since the last one. Additional VA treatment records are also needed.

The Veteran's Major Depressive Disorder is found to be etiologically related to active military service, and the claim for this condition is granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and hearing loss, due to lack of evidence supporting the presence or causation of these conditions during military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence linking his current hearing loss disability to his qualifying National Guard service period from March to September 1963.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran was exposed to acoustic trauma in service and that it is at least as likely as not that his current conditions are caused by or related to this exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that these conditions are the result of military service.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his bilateral hearing loss was denied as the evidence did not support an increase in disability ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to noise exposure during active duty.