Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal due to his withdrawal of the two issues on appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The VA is remanding the cases to provide further examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss is related to his active service, including noise exposure.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied as there was no in-service hearing loss and it did not manifest within one year of discharge. The claim for tinnitus is granted as the evidence supports a link to active duty noise exposure.

The Board denied service connection for lower back condition, left ankle condition, and right ear hearing loss as the evidence did not support a nexus to active duty.

The Board has reopened the previously denied service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded them for further development to address the nexus between current disabilities and active service.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities are granted as service-connected. The effective date is not specified.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease precludes all substantially gainful employment for which his education and occupational experience would otherwise qualify him, thus the TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 2, 2014 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied as there is no evidence that a formal or informal claim was filed before this date.

The Veteran's hearing loss is related to his military service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied service connection for joint pains with fevers, right ankle disability, hearing loss, asthma, liver disorder, gallstones, and hypothyroidism. The issue of severance of service connection for generalized anxiety disorder was remanded.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity have been granted service connection. The issues of tremors in the upper extremities and peripheral neuropathy in the right lower extremity are denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral shoulder disability, bilateral knee disability, and bilateral hearing loss due to insufficient examination reports and a need to review all available evidence.

The Veteran's low back and right knee disabilities, as well as bilateral hearing loss and erectile dysfunction, are currently rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations. The Board has found that additional evidence is needed to determine whether service connection should be granted for left knee disability secondary to right knee and low back disabilities, or for right foot disability secondary to same conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction, an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for residuals of right ankle fracture, and an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right ear hearing loss is granted. The issue of service connection for left ear hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted as the evidence shows in-service noise exposure leading to current disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings were dismissed, and a TDIU was granted. The left knee disability is rated at 30 percent from November 9, 2018.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted, with the Board finding that there is at least an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding the merits of these issues material to the determination.