Hearing loss decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, sleep apnea, and hypertension due to insufficient evidence or lack of examination.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or any other compensable factors.

The Veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected conditions, and he did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred during active duty, did not manifest to a compensable degree within one year of separation, and is not otherwise related to military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is denied for a rating in excess of 20 percent for shell fragment wound of the left deltoid, and for ratings in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss from January 21, 2014 onwards. The Veteran also has his initial compensable rating for left deltoid residual scar associated with shell fragment wound denied.,The Veteran's tinnitus is not rated higher than 10 percent since January 21, 2014. His arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease from March 26, 2013 to February 14, 2017 was rated at 60 percent and from February 15, 2017 onwards at 100 percent.,The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is not rated higher than 20 percent.

The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss is found to be service-connected as it was incurred during active service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear has been denied as there is no evidence showing a current disability.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss has also been denied due to lack of evidence demonstrating a current disability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete development and a need for a supplemental statement of the case.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to deficiencies in the May 2018 VA examination. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, right ear hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus are all granted as service-connected.,As for the remaining conditions (asbestosis, prostate cancer, inguinal hernia, and urinary tract infection), they are remanded due to insufficient evidence in the record.

The Veteran's service connection for left ear hearing loss disability is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability that is related to his active duty service.,The Veteran's right ear hearing loss disability does not warrant a compensable initial rating, with the highest level being Level VIII under VA regulations.,The Veteran's status post lumbar spine fusion, L3-S1 for DDD, has not been shown to warrant an increased rating beyond what is already assigned.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD has been reopened and is now considered for service connection. The Board finds new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, finding that the Veteran's hearing loss is presumed to have been incurred in service due to continuous symptoms since service separation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions have been denied as new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the diabetes mellitus claim, and the preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that any other condition was incurred or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a hearing loss disability has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for bilateral high frequency hearing loss was denied, and his initial disability rating for PTSD was granted at 30 percent. The effective dates for both were set as April 22, 2013.

The Board has determined that the VA audiology examination report is inadequate to decide the appeal and requires a remand for further evaluation.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and residuals of traumatic brain injury as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, and the evidence does not support a finding that they are related to service.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including back injury, right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, heart condition, TBI, and PTSD. The claims were not granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for left ear hearing loss is granted, while claims for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), heart disorder, osteopenia, cervical spine (neck) disability, left shoulder disability, right shoulder disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability are denied. The Veteran's service connection claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is also remanded.