Hearing loss decisions — 2019

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. Service connection for Peyronie’s disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of the extremities are remanded.

The Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss in the right ear is currently rated as noncompensable (0 percent) from April 5, 2016. The Veteran does not have a current disability of sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear for VA purposes.,Service connection for the left shoulder disorder and right shoulder disorder are both denied because there was no in-service injury, disease, or event associated with either shoulder.,The Veteran's low back disorder is currently rated as noncompensable (0 percent) from April 5, 2016. The current lower back disorder did not have its onset during service and is not otherwise related to active duty service.,Service connection for TBI is remanded due to insufficient competent medical evidence on file.

The Veteran's claims for left ankle, right ankle, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus disabilities were denied. The claim of service connection for anxiety and depression secondary to PTSD was granted. However, the Board found no current disability for the left knee.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his service connection claims for a left shoulder disorder and lumbar spine disorder, are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The Veteran has also filed a notice of disagreement regarding these issues, but an SOC addressing this has not been issued yet.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and coronary artery disease were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation in any of these cases.

The Veteran's hearing loss is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion.,Diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s disease are remanded as the exposure basis has not been adequately developed.,Sleep apnea is remanded as it is secondary to diabetes mellitus, which also needs to be resolved first.,Parotid gland adenoma is remanded due to inadequate medical opinion regarding radiation exposure.,Service connection for parotid gland adenoma will need further development under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service-connected.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertensive heart disease, and hypertension were denied. Bilateral hearing loss was not shown to be related to service. The Veteran's hypertensive heart disease did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent or a 10 percent rating. His hypertension met the criteria for a 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to July 30, 2018 and a higher than 10 percent rating thereafter are denied as the audiometric evaluations do not support these ratings.

The Board has decided to remand the cases of right ear hearing loss and left ear hearing loss for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The right knee, back, tinnitus, ingrown toenails, left knee disorder (claimed as left knee disorder), bilateral hearing loss (claimed as bilateral hearing loss), lung disorder (claimed as lung disorder, specifically asbestosis), nasal disorder (claimed as nasal disorder, specifically rhinitis), and headaches have been denied. The Veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder has been granted.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for bilateral hearing loss is denied as his current hearing acuity does not warrant such a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss is rated as non-compensable, and the Board finds that his claim for a compensable rating has been denied.

The Veteran's appeal for withholding of VA disability compensation benefits due to military drill pay was denied as the evidence did not support his claim that he had fewer than 83 days of INACDUTRA in FY 2011 and FY 2012.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sickle cell anemia has been denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or superimposed disease.,The Veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for various disabilities, including blurred vision, hearing loss, and PTSD with memory loss, are remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that the claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and psychiatric disability are denied. The claims for service connection for left knee and back disabilities are remanded due to incomplete examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for postoperative residuals of a cerebral artery aneurysm, to include a cerebrovascular accident; bilateral eye disorders, to include photophobia; and peripheral neuropathy are remanded. The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for PTSD and bilateral hearing loss are also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus have been denied as there is no evidence of a nexus between the disabilities and service, including noise exposure. The Board found that the preponderance of the evidence did not support the Veteran's assertions.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss should be remanded to allow for additional development of his VA treatment records.

The Board has determined that a new VA examination and opinion are necessary for the Veteran's claims of bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as the existing opinions are inadequate.