Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus due to incomplete records. The AOJ must obtain relevant Social Security Administration records and decisions.

Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, liver disorder, cold injury residuals, left hip disorder, right hip disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left elbow disorder, and back disability has been denied.,Service connection for tinnitus was not granted as it is not related to service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has worsened, and a VA examination is needed to assess its current severity.

The Veteran's sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. The Veteran's meniere's disease is remanded for further examination to determine if it is related to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, or active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's preexisting bilateral hearing loss was aggravated by active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone precluded him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment prior to November 16, 2016. Effective November 16, 2016, the Veteran was granted entitlement to TDIU on a schedular basis.

The Veteran was granted service connection for tinnitus, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sinusitis.,Sinusitis has been rated as noncompensable prior to May 17, 2016, and at a 10 percent rating since then.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connected. The Board found that the Veteran experienced in-service noise exposure, which is considered combat-related, leading to current hearing loss.

The claim of service connection for the cause of death is dismissed, and the claim of DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus as there was no evidence of in-service noise exposure, the disorders were not shown within one year of separation from service, and continuity of symptomatology could not be established. The medical evidence did not support a nexus between current hearing loss or tinnitus and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that it is etiologically related to in-service noise exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that both conditions are likely related to noise exposure during the Veteran's active duty as a helicopter mechanic.

The appeal of the evaluation of service-connected coronary artery disease is dismissed. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to his failure to report for VA examinations. The case is now back with the AOJ for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's hemorrhoid disability is granted as service-connected. The Board dismissed the appeals for earlier effective dates and remanded several issues related to his spine, knees, hearing loss, sleep apnea, coronary artery disease, hypertension, varicocele, and epididymitis.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and initial rating of hemorrhoids, a scar on the right knee, residuals of a right hand injury, residuals of a right middle finger injury, and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as his hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation under VA's rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss disability is related to his military service, resolving doubt in favor of the Veteran.