Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and PTSD are granted service connection. The Veteran's restrictive lung disease is remanded for further examination.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss but remanded the issue of service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, consistent with his educational and occupational background.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and residuals of a laceration to head (including TBI), finding no new and material evidence to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, a heart disability (to include as secondary to service-connected varicose veins), and a rating in excess of 20 percent for varicose veins of the right leg. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection was remanded due to insufficient evidence. The effective date for the PTSD rating is set at September 5, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence and need further evaluation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, have been reopened. The Board has ordered the claims remanded for further development.

The Board has found the VA examiners' opinions inadequate and remanded for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from the December 2018 VA examiner regarding bilateral hearing loss and a new respiratory disability examination.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss and tinnitus are granted service connection. Service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II is denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss, tinnitus, and otalgia as they are related to service. The Veteran's symptoms include ear pain, infections, and ringing in his ears.

The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is rated noncompensable, his GERD is rated at 30 percent, and his adjustment disorder with depressed mood is rated more than 50 percent from November 7, 2007 to December 12, 2017. The claim for an increased rating higher than 10 percent for tinnitus must be denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disability in service and no evidence of continuity of symptomatology within one year of discharge. The Board also found that the Veteran's current hearing loss is more likely due to aging effects rather than military noise exposure.

Service connection is granted for a back disability, bilateral upper and lower extremity diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral hearing loss.,The Veteran's service-connected plantar fasciitis remains under review.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied. The claims of service connection for left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, and right ankle disability are remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was dismissed. The Board granted service connection for right knee degenerative arthritis, but remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disability and a right shoulder/lumbar spine disabilities due to lack of medical evidence.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is rated as Level I, which does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating. The Board has remanded the issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has decided to remand the case for further evaluation due to assertions of worsening since his last examination.

The Veteran's claims for fibromyalgia, glaucoma, PTSD, migraine headaches secondary to sleep apnea syndrome, left ankle disorder, left foot disorder, right foot disorder, right elbow disorder, chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, undiagnosed illness, medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, and right ear hearing loss have been dismissed. The Veteran's claim for glaucoma has been reopened but not granted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including verifying his complete periods of service and obtaining any missing STRs and SPRs. The right knee disorder claim is deferred until these records are obtained.