Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but dismissed his claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for major depressive disorder.

The Board denied service connection for hearing loss in the right ear, left ear, and Meniere’s syndrome due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other valid theory of entitlement.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and development of evidence.

The Board has determined that there are insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, specifically whether they are related to military noise exposure. The claims are being remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and a heart disability, as well as the claim for service connection for hypertension. The Veteran is also required to provide updated VA treatment records and any relevant Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for hearing loss. The cases of left hip, right hip, and right knee disabilities are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for residuals of fractured right hand, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have been granted. The claim for nasal disorders has been 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 link between his current conditions and military service.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss and prostate cancer were evaluated, but the appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not rated higher than noncompensable, while his prostate cancer was also not rated higher than the maximum available benefit.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of diabetes mellitus type II, but remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss, CAD, or PTSD.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right wrist disorder and a bilateral knee disorder. The Veteran's claim for left ear hearing loss is remanded, as there are insufficient medical opinions regarding whether his current hearing loss is related to military noise exposure.,The Veteran's TBI claim is also remanded, with an addendum opinion needed to address the significant threshold shift in his left ear during service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there is a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims due to new evidence received since the previous denial. The Board also found that the Veteran's current hearing loss disability was caused by noise exposure during his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability, right ear hearing loss disability, and tinnitus has been granted. The case is remanded to obtain updated VA examination results and address the issue of an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss disability.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and granted service connection for hypertension. The Veteran does not have current bilateral hearing loss for VA purposes, but the Board found that hypertension began during service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are related to his service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bipolar disorder, an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus. The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions were caused by or related to the Veteran's military service.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, major depressive disorder, and tinnitus due to incomplete records. The AOJ is instructed to obtain any missing SSD records, medical records from the March 2011 hospitalization, and complete service personnel records.