Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to the need for new VA examinations that comply with Correia v. McDonald (2016) standards, and to assess the current severity of these disabilities.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is related to service and the claim has been reopened. Service connection for this condition is now granted.

The Veteran's spouse is denied earlier effective date prior to November 1, 2011 for dependency allowance as the appropriate effective date is November 1, 2011 when his combined disability rating became 90 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated as noncompensable prior to March 9, 2018, and as 10 percent since that date. The Board found the evidence did not support higher ratings.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the evidence did not support a causal relationship to active duty service.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in addressing the Veteran's lay evidence and the rationale of a VA audiologist's opinion. The claim will be reconsidered with an addendum opinion from a VA audiologist.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a hearing disability during service and insufficient medical opinion to establish a link between current hearing loss and military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and its relationship to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability or a relationship to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's right ear hearing loss is related to service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted as service connected. The Veteran's PTSD claim is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims, and there is no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims for service connection and rating of PTSD. The claims are being remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disability and an initial compensable evaluation for right ear hearing loss.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are etiologically related to acoustic trauma sustained during active service, and thus grants entitlement to service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's hearing loss has worsened since his last VA examination, and the Board is requesting a new examination to determine if the March 2019 test results can be converted to speech discrimination scores.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The Veteran's stomach cancer and sinusitis claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection as they have been granted in full by the RO.